Ponaria: Symphony of the Neigh [IC II]

[DigoDragon]

~ Bottom level of the Koldstone Barrow, 8:50 pm ~



Crossguard looks the rapier over. She picks it up with her ponykinesis, and steps away to look it over and test it out.

Intelligence check to see if she recognizes the craftsmanship, as well as what the blade is made of.
[13]+2 = 15

After a quick examination, Crossguard determines that the blade is made of a silver alloy (electrum), but it is hard and retains its sharpness despite the usual softness of silver. As for the craftsmanship, the design is most commonly known from somewhere within Elysium. The blood stains are very smooth on the blade, as if the color was simply subsumed into the metal.



"Well, let's see how this goes. Please don't be cursed," says Frostbite as he slips on the ring.

The ring fits perfectly! Nothing seems to happen however. No flashy lights, sudden painful curses, or screams from beyond the veil. On the other hoof, Frost feels like the temperature in the room around him subtly dropped a couple degrees.

[Jurai]

Crossguard smiles. "Impressive... It's not often an Elysium forge works with electrum." She tests the rapier out, giving a few quick swings away from the party.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit shrugs and slips on the boots. No one else seemed to want them, at any rate. He walks over the ice formed by the serpent mouth trap, cautiously checking how his body responds to the cold and how well he can balance on the ice. Maybe even check his balance by doing a small hop on the ice.

[McNum]

Beryl spends some time looking over the robe. All of these little patches slowly begin to make sense to her. Daggers. Rope. Healing Potions. "...a rowboat?" she mutters out loud in surprise. "...and this one is... a hole? How does that work?"

Slowly she feels like an inventory of the stuff the robe has is building up in the back of her mind. What an odd robe. As the list ends she notices that it ends with "Bag of 100 Gold (2)".

"I think this thing has money in it, too." she says out loud before really getting any selfish thoughts. "...two-hundred gold? If I'm reading it right, at least. I can add that to the pile if you want, but I'll admit, I kind of want to buy a bow, too. I'm not a bad shot, you know, but longbows are pretty steep, so I couldn't afford bringing one from home." She goes through her mental inventory again "...and some spell scrolls. Hm. Is 'Magic Missile' or 'Burning Hooves' any good?"

She tears her mind away from the "Yay, new stuff!" induced daze and then remembers where she is. "Actually, I have a question. What do we do about all the dead ponies down here? Somepony probably misses them somewhere... do we tell somepony about this? We can't really take them anywhere."

[DigoDragon]

Crossguard smiles. "Impressive... It's not often an Elysium forge works with electrum." She tests the rapier out, giving a few quick swings away from the party.

The blade is well-balanced and sturdy. The smith that crafted this knew what they were doing.



He walks over the ice formed by the serpent mouth trap, cautiously checking how his body responds to the cold and how well he can balance on the ice. Maybe even check his balance by doing a small hop on the ice.

Although the trap has been disabled, the hall should still be cold given all the ice still around, but it didn't really seem like much of a bother to Spirit, nor did the ice-laden ground feel very slippery.



"I think this thing has money in it, too." she says out loud before really getting any selfish thoughts. "...two-hundred gold? If I'm reading it right, at least. I can add that to the pile if you want, but I'll admit, I kind of want to buy a bow, too. I'm not a bad shot, you know, but longbows are pretty steep, so I couldn't afford bringing one from home."

Trace is now on Beryl's left, listening intently. "You got a robe that's loaded, and you are willing to share? Hmm, I knew you were the kind one, Pinkie."


She goes through her mental inventory again "...and some spell scrolls. Hm. Is 'Magic Missile' or 'Burning Hooves' any good?"

Ace is now on Beryl's right, listening intently. "Pretty common combat spells. Frostbite does Magic Missile. I don't know if he does Burning Hooves... I mean, his name being all... about the cold... you know that's a good question. Hey Frost, do you know fire spells?"



"Actually, I have a question. What do we do about all the dead ponies down here? Somepony probably misses them somewhere... do we tell somepony about this? We can't really take them anywhere."

"We could just report the bodies to the... um, nearest settlement and they can recover them," Ace suggests.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit nods in agreement with Ace. "These bodies must not stay in the mausoleum. This place is Trent's thaumaturgic heart; allowing Brotherhood corpses to molder in here would soon send the family to ally with the creatures." Then he picks up the cloth wrapping he dropped next to the pile, and offers it to Ace. "Oh, hold on to this. Once we get back to town, I think it's time you make your first minion. The right way, this time, without any uncontrollable spirits interrupting."

[McNum]

Trace is now on Beryl's left, listening intently. "You got a robe that's loaded, and you are willing to share? Hmm, I knew you were the kind one, Pinkie."
Ace is now on Beryl's right, listening intently. "Pretty common combat spells. Frostbite does Magic Missile. I don't know if he does Burning Hooves... I mean, his name being all... about the cold... you know that's a good question. Hey Frost, do you know fire spells?"
Beryl suddenly feels really crowded. "How about this, everypony? I add one hundred of the gold to the common pile to be split, and the two spell scrolls are up for grabs if anypony wants them. But I want to keep the other hundred gold for a nice bow and a quiver of arrows. ...I wonder if Basuto has a Crystal Empire one, crystal bows are pretty."


"We could just report the bodies to the... um, nearest settlement and they can recover them," Ace suggests.
Spirit nods in agreement with Ace. "These bodies must not stay in the mausoleum. This place is Trent's thaumaturgic heart; allowing Brotherhood corpses to molder in here would soon send the family to ally with the creatures." Then he picks up the cloth wrapping he dropped next to the pile, and offers it to Ace. "Oh, hold on to this. Once we get back to town, I think it's time you make your first minion. The right way, this time, without any uncontrollable spirits interrupting."
"That's going to be a fun story. 'When we broke into the Trent's family tomb, we saw somepony else had done so, too, but they're all dead now.' Um... I think we'll have to have Crossguard say that one. If any of us say that, it's going to sound really bad, even if we DID just save the town from a curse. Can you do that, Cross? Paladins are expected to do things like this, right?"

[Fable Wright]

Spirit shrugs at Beryl. "Or we could just dump them outside the entrance. No lingering infestation, no awkward explanations. Oh, and with regards to the cash? Keep it, at the moment. We can always divvy it later, and someone else might need a lump sum purchase in the future; it's best to keep it in reserve for events like that. Rituals for Ace, weapons for you or Crossguard, or putting up cash for a deed of land."

[Jurai]

Beryl suddenly feels really crowded. "How about this, everypony? I add one hundred of the gold to the common pile to be split, and the two spell scrolls are up for grabs if anypony wants them. But I want to keep the other hundred gold for a nice bow and a quiver of arrows. ...I wonder if Basuto has a Crystal Empire one, crystal bows are pretty."


"That's going to be a fun story. 'When we broke into the Trent's family tomb, we saw somepony else had done so, too, but they're all dead now.' Um... I think we'll have to have Crossguard say that one. If any of us say that, it's going to sound really bad, even if we DID just save the town from a curse. Can you do that, Cross? Paladins are expected to do things like this, right?"

"We'd have to spin it as though we were defending the tomb, Beryl. And most ponies don't know anything about the Brotherhood and/or choose to not know anything."

[McNum]

"We'd have to spin it as though we were defending the tomb, Beryl. And most ponies don't know anything about the Brotherhood and/or choose to not know anything."
"Ah, I get it. 'We acted on a rumor that somepony was about to break into the barrows, to cast some curse, but while the bad guys got away, we broke the curse.' That's good enough for the common ponies, I'd think. Though... your order probably needs the full story. If they stole some Trent ancestor's body, this might get a lot worse than a curse."

Beryl adds "I might want to talk to them again myself. I'm pretty sure now that I'm a different... flavor of Paladin. But I'd like to stay friends with them, and maybe they know somepony I should talk to."

[Fable Wright]

Spirit shrugs and begins hauling the bodies outside of the tomb. "In my homeland, we'd merely set the stones themselves on fire until this abomination of a tomb burned to the ground, and all would know a shaman had done their sacred work here. Your customs of bending the truth for some and not others are strange to me." He glances up at the architecture and egotism involved here. "As well as your customs of letting monuments like this stand once found." He shudders, then resumes his dragging.

[McNum]

Beryl shrugs. "It's not our tomb to burn. This is the Trent family's tomb. You could ask them to burn it, but on second thought... don't. Noble families like to keep their dead ancestors around."

Beryl starts fiddling with her new cloak. "Okay, let's see now... this one?" She tears off a patch, and finds a rolled up scroll in her hoof. "...this should be the Magic Missile one. Could somepony who can actually read this thing check that?" She holds out the scroll to let Ace or Frostbite have a look.

[Fable Wright]

Beryl shrugs. "It's not our tomb to burn. This is the Trent family's tomb. You could ask them to burn it, but on second thought... don't. Noble families like to keep their dead ancestors around."

Spirit briefly pauses hauling corpses to give Beryl a funny look. "Have you never realized why that is? It's simple. A mausoleum like this keeps the Trent family in a state of stasis. So long as this stands, the Trent family will see themselves as gods lording themselves over the common pony, cannot lose their wealth and influence, and will keep their dragon blood as weak as these thinblooded ancestors and their obsession over it as strong as always. Only our missing Sa— escaped this mixed curse." He shakes his head. "In the zebra lands, we see abominations like this for what they are. Self-inflicted curses all to desperately hang on to one ephemeral gain. No, one does not ask the Trent to burn this down; that's like asking a cultist to burn their ritual book. But it must be done regardless, for them and the good of everyone around them." Then he gets back to his dragging.

[DigoDragon]

"Oh, hold on to this. Once we get back to town, I think it's time you make your first minion. The right way, this time, without any uncontrollable spirits interrupting."

"I'm allowed minions?" Ace asks skeptically. "Hmm, I guess I should brush up on my studies."



Beryl suddenly feels really crowded. "How about this, everypony? I add one hundred of the gold to the common pile to be split, and the two spell scrolls are up for grabs if anypony wants them. But I want to keep the other hundred gold for a nice bow and a quiver of arrows."

"Oh, and with regards to the cash? Keep it, at the moment. We can always divvy it later, and someone else might need a lump sum purchase in the future;"

"Let's not be a complete downer, White-out," Trace comments to Spirit. "If the curse is lifted we could probably use rooms, baths, a little dinner..."



Beryl adds "I might want to talk to them again myself. I'm pretty sure now that I'm a different... flavor of Paladin. But I'd like to stay friends with them, and maybe they know somepony I should talk to."

Ace looks slightly confused. "What flavor? Like cherry or something?"



Beryl starts fiddling with her new cloak. "Okay, let's see now... this one?" She tears off a patch, and finds a rolled up scroll in her hoof. "...this should be the Magic Missile one. Could somepony who can actually read this thing check that?" She holds out the scroll to let Ace or Frostbite have a look.

Ace lets Frostbite check it first if he wants.



Then he gets back to his dragging.

Trace follows Spirit while hovering in the air, acting as moral support, just with less morals and no tangible support. Ace on the other hoof hooks a hoof on a body and tries to help drag it out of the barrow. "Burning this place down would be bad, but I can agree to piling the bodies outside for now."

[Fable Wright]

"I'm allowed minions?" Ace asks skeptically. "Hmm, I guess I should brush up on my studies."

Spirit wipes his forehead as he heads back into the dungeon for another body. "I brought three into this dungeon, haven't I? Why wouldn't you be allowed at least one of your own?" He shakes his head. "It's a minion, not your first volcano. The latter, incidentally, you'll have to wait on."


"Let's not be a complete downer, White-out," Trace comments to Spirit. "If the curse is lifted we could probably use rooms, baths, a little dinner..."

Spirit pauses to consider. Then... "Oh, if you insist. First date, no mandibles. Second date, things get webby."


Ace looks slightly confused. "What flavor? Like cherry or something?"

"More of a mint, really."

[McNum]

"...I'm more of a strawberry, really." Beryl muses just loudly enough for everypony to hear.

She then reaches into her cloak and pulls out ...a bag? "Oh, neat, it comes with a bag! A hundred gold coins would have made a mess if they were loose change." She adds the bag to the common money pool. "I promised, so here it is. I'm keeping the other one for a bow and other girly things."

(OOC: Can we get a recap on how much money there is in the pool to be split?)

[DigoDragon]

"I brought three into this dungeon, haven't I? Why wouldn't you be allowed at least one of your own?"

Ace starts counting around the room in a vain attempt to come up with three minions. He doesn't seem to get past a count of one, the alligator, and the gator just gives Ace a hiss that causes the little unicorn to back away. Slowly.



Spirit pauses to consider. Then... "Oh, if you insist. First date, no mandibles. Second date, things get webby."

"Snowball, if I weren't jonsing for a bowl of snacks right now, I'd dignify that with a riposte," Trace replies, "But instead I'm off to get those snacks. Pinkie, if you divvy out the money, I call dibs on my share. See you at the tavern."

And with that settled (but not really) Trace flies up, grabs a piece of cloud, and with a 'yip yip' he flies under the cover of night toward the village.



"...I'm more of a strawberry, really." Beryl muses just loudly enough for everypony to hear.

Ace glaces at everyone else looking for clarification on what that's supposed to mean.



"Oh, neat, it comes with a bag! A hundred gold coins would have made a mess if they were loose change." She adds the bag to the common money pool. "I promised, so here it is. I'm keeping the other one for a bow and other girly things."

(OOC: Can we get a recap on how much money there is in the pool to be split?)


40 copper coins
36 silver coins
131 gold coins

[Fable Wright]

"The one minion you see, the one you don't realize, and the one you can't see." He pats Ace on the back, before responding to Beryl. "You're definitely a strawberry on the whole, but your order is a mint to the other orders' licorice, molasses, and jalapeno."

With a grunt, he dumps the last body at the entrance of the tomb, then trots over to calm his gator and perform a chant to allow him to communicate with the gator. "I deeply apologize for your discomfort down there. I can't promise that I'll never ask you to do something like that again; if you prefer to get a ride back to your swamp, I could not blame you."

I'm seriously considering using Locate Animals and Plants to track down a giant spider of some variety as a companion, so if the poor gator wants a break, this is a good time to split off. Spirit will still visit whenever he heads to Basuto.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Frost, intrigued by the pearl, wanders up to Midnight and offers up his ring. "Trade ya?"


Ace lets Frostbite check it first if he wants.
Frost glances over the scroll. "Yeah, Magic Missile. It's a spell I already know. Probably best if Ace takes it. Or maybe Crossguard? You know some magic, right?"

[Jurai]

Crossguard nods. "A little bit, though I prefer to do battle with my blade."

[One Tin Soldier]

Spirit briefly pauses hauling corpses to give Beryl a funny look. "Have you never realized why that is? It's simple. A mausoleum like this keeps the Trent family in a state of stasis. So long as this stands, the Trent family will see themselves as gods lording themselves over the common pony, cannot lose their wealth and influence, and will keep their dragon blood as weak as these thinblooded ancestors and their obsession over it as strong as always. Only our missing Sa— escaped this mixed curse." He shakes his head. "In the zebra lands, we see abominations like this for what they are. Self-inflicted curses all to desperately hang on to one ephemeral gain. No, one does not ask the Trent to burn this down; that's like asking a cultist to burn their ritual book. But it must be done regardless, for them and the good of everyone around them." Then he gets back to his dragging.

"I think you might be exaggerating the importance of this tomb just a bit," Midnight says skeptically. "I feel like burning it down will just get them angry at us, not mystically lower their social status."

[Fable Wright]

Spirit shrugs. "You have your beliefs, o chanter of bloodstone. My faith has its own. There's a reason you bury your dead and strike against graverobbers, where we offer our lost in sky burial. Still, there's only one way to find out, is there not? One little imitation volcano is all it takes." He grins and rubs his hooves.

"Though, you may be misunderstanding. I don't claim that the Trent will lose their status. At least, not necessarily. If they have the wise and skilled managing their finances, their wealth may surge and dragon blood may flow ever-stronger through their veins. They will only crumble if they've become complacent. It's a curse, not a blessing, that I seek to free them from."

[DigoDragon]

With a grunt, he dumps the last body at the entrance of the tomb, then trots over to calm his gator and perform a chant to allow him to communicate with the gator. "I deeply apologize for your discomfort down there. I can't promise that I'll never ask you to do something like that again; if you prefer to get a ride back to your swamp, I could not blame you."

"Swamp good. Too cold here, no sun or water. Don't like littlest pony, smells bad. There is swamp outside. Need long sleep." The gator gives a glance over to Ace, though the little stallion had already wandered into a conversation with Frost on magic scrolls.



Frost glances over the scroll. "Yeah, Magic Missile. It's a spell I already know. Probably best if Ace takes it. Or maybe Crossguard? You know some magic, right?"

Crossguard nods. "A little bit, though I prefer to do battle with my blade."

Ace reaches out for the scroll and reads it over silently. "I already know the spell too, but it doesn't hurt to have a back up." In the excitement of getting something useful, Ace gives Frost a big hug.

[Fable Wright]

"Swamp good. Too cold here, no sun or water. Don't like littlest pony, smells bad. There is swamp outside. Need long sleep." The gator gives a glance over to Ace, though the little stallion had already wandered into a conversation with Frost on magic scrolls.

Spirit nods. "I'll bring you food sometimes, even though you'll no longer travel with me. Just stick with me a little while longer as we bring you back." Then, his work done, items gathered, and loot properly acquired, trots back towards the possibly-still-covered-in-flour inn they found earlier.


Ace reaches out for the scroll and reads it over silently. "I already know the spell too, but it doesn't hurt to have a back up." In the excitement of getting something useful, Ace gives Frost a big hug.

Spirit waves a hoof to Ace as he trots past. "Ace! One question for you. That being, what did we do wrong in this dungeon?"

[DigoDragon]

Spirit waves a hoof to Ace as he trots past. "Ace! One question for you. That being, what did we do wrong in this dungeon?"

Ace forgets to let go of Frost and ponders Spirit's question before he answers. "Well, I think we were trespassing on private ground. But... no one probably saw us so I guess it's okay?"

[Fable Wright]

Spirit shakes his head. "No, standard adventurer license covers that. What we did wrong was simple: We didn't have forward information. Think about it. We only saw one enemy in this dungeon. If we knew where it was, and what its intentions were, before stumbling haphazardly across it? We could have annihilated before it equipped its arms and armor. Just something to think about." Then he continues trotting into town.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Ace reaches out for the scroll and reads it over silently. "I already know the spell too, but it doesn't hurt to have a back up." In the excitement of getting something useful, Ace gives Frost a big hug.
Frost seems taken aback at this sudden display of affection. He'd expect this from Beryl but not from Ace. "Oh... um... Y-you're welcome," he says, giving Ace an awkward pat on the back.

[DigoDragon]

"What we did wrong was simple: We didn't have forward information."

"Forward information?" Ace says as he watches Spirit trot away. "Oh, so we gotta spy on our enemy? Hmm... spy versus spy..."


Frost seems taken aback at this sudden display of affection. He'd expect this from Beryl but not from Ace. "Oh... um... Y-you're welcome," he says, giving Ace an awkward pat on the back.

https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2016/4/17/1133884__safe_shipping_straight_animated_cute_spik e_hug_dragon_pixel+art_nervous.gif

Ace finally lets go of Frost. "Oh, was I being too forward? Sorry, I uh, don't know how far personal space radiates from someone."

[Jurai]

Crossguard chuckles. "Typically, young apprentice, it's a yard." She looks to Spirit. "And while our research may have been insufficient, it would have been even less favorable for us to dawdle around."

[McNum]

"Sometimes you do need to take a chance and go for it. We couldn't have known about the guardian, I was honestly expecting vampire spawns again, but we did find out that what was wrong in town came from here." Beryl pauses for a moment. "...did we ever find out who the flour writer was? I think we need to get back to town and ask around. Or at least see if the inn has a warm bed... and see if it's still broken now."

[Fable Wright]

Spirit nods at the Paladins. "Indeed. Information would have saved us time and effort, but gathering information through mundane channels could have cost lives. If only there were some kind of magical way to gather lots of information in a very short timeframe..." he shakes his head. "Ah, ignore me. I'm just some fool trying to tell you there's more than one school you might enjoy, Ace. Zombies and curses are one thing, but Divination means no longer being afraid. Of others, yourself, the future, or a simple monster hiding in a dungeon. Given your nightmares, reaction down there, and dealings with others... But really, it's your call. I shouldn't be trying to dance around and lean you to one school or the other. Heh. It's this pony tradition of half-truths all over again." He looks at the sky, dark as it is. "Maybe I'm just afraid to see what we've wrought in the village below."

Nonetheless, after a moment, he trots towards the inn, keeping an eye out to assess the state of the town. Best safe than sorry.
[roll0]+[roll1]

[DigoDragon]

Crossguard chuckles. "Typically, young apprentice, it's a yard."
[roll0]
"A yard? Huh, I didn't know that," Ace replies. "Back at the college we'd be lucky enough to have 3 inches. Okay, will try to keep myself spaced apart." Ace mentally calculates a good focal point to walk alongside the party to be equidistant to everyone adjacent to himself.



"...did we ever find out who the flour writer was? I think we need to get back to town and ask around. Or at least see if the inn has a warm bed... and see if it's still broken now."

He looks at the sky, dark as it is. "Maybe I'm just afraid to see what we've wrought in the village below."

Nonetheless, after a moment, he trots towards the inn, keeping an eye out to assess the state of the town. Best safe than sorry.
[roll0]+[roll1]
[roll1]
As the party returns to the village they spot the activity of many ponies gathered around the inn, perhaps the entire village population. They look pale and weak, with dozens of them curled up on blankets all over the floor by the fireplace. Many are being fed a watery stew and bread by the few clergy of the only church here and by the cook. Outside on the porch is a small stack of pony bodies, perhaps a little more than a dozen, covered completely in blankets. The head priest of the church is reading last rites from a book.

As you approach the villages all begin to cower, fear in their eyes. Two farmers with pitch forks make shields of themselves to protect the children as they eye you with suspicion.

"W-who are you?" one armed farmer asks warily.

Spirit notices that one of the dead bodies under the blankets is actually one of the three ponies that had confronted the group outside the Sleepy Salamander the night of Ace's kidnapping.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit raises his hooves in a non-threatening manner. "We are travelers and healers. We heard of a curse on this land and ponies in need, and we came to help. Perhaps more importantly, we've brought food."

Spirit reaches into his pack and fumbles out the 7 barely-touched pony food rations that he's been carrying, before digging through his packs and muttering to himself as an invocation to fill one last sack with Goodberries. When he 'finds' it, he lays it on the ground, letting the 20 large fruit in the bag show to his questioner.

[McNum]

As the party returns to the village they spot the activity of many ponies gathered around the inn, perhaps the entire village population. They look pale and weak, with dozens of them curled up on blankets all over the floor by the fireplace. Many are being fed a watery stew and bread by the few clergy of the only church here and by the cook. Outside on the porch is a small stack of pony bodies, perhaps a little more than a dozen, covered completely in blankets. The head priest of the church is reading last rites from a book.
Beryl, having removed her mask as they left the tomb, looks at the scene and quietly mutters "...oh no."


Spirit raises his hooves in a non-threatening manner. "We are travelers and healers. We heard of a curse on this land and ponies in need, and we came to help. Perhaps more importantly, we've brought food."

Spirit reaches into his pack and fumbles out the 7 barely-touched pony food rations that he's been carrying, before digging through his packs and muttering to himself as an invocation to fill one last sack with Goodberries. When he 'finds' it, he lays it on the ground, letting the 20 large fruit in the bag show to his questioner.

"I am Beryl, Paladin in training. I mean no harm. How can I help?" Beryl adds. Though she wonders if it will be her skills as a baker that will be of use here.

[Jurai]

Crossguard trots up. "I am Crossguard Platine, Knight of the Sun. Is there any way that my friends and I can help?"

[DigoDragon]

Spirit raises his hooves in a non-threatening manner. "We are travelers and healers. We heard of a curse on this land and ponies in need, and we came to help. Perhaps more importantly, we've brought food."

"I am Beryl, Paladin in training. I mean no harm. How can I help?" Beryl adds. Though she wonders if it will be her skills as a baker that will be of use here.

Crossguard trots up. "I am Crossguard Platine, Knight of the Sun. Is there any way that my friends and I can help?"

The two farmers look the party over and relent. "Alright... if any of you know your way around curses or illness, see what you can do to help the weakest ones. Food seems to help a bit." They stand aside for any to enter. You can see that Trace is already inside chatting with several ponies.

The head priest of the village finishes reading and comes over to the party. He is a fairly tall earth pony, with well-defined muscle tone and a few scars on his forelegs. "I couldn't help but overhear that two among you are a paladin and a Knight of the Sun. Such prestigious ponies do not come here to assist unless they know of troubles. Pray tell me, did you just arrive, or were you here much earlier this night?"

[Fable Wright]

Spirit knocks his hoof against a nearby piece of wood to the tune of 'Shave and a Haircut', quietly gauging the priest's reaction, before taking his nutritionally-complete food to the weak ones and plying what skills he has to help.

[roll0] Insight to see if the priest responds
[roll1]+[roll2] Herbalism to tend to the ill

[McNum]

The two farmers look the party over and relent. "Alright... if any of you know your way around curses or illness, see what you can do to help the weakest ones. Food seems to help a bit." They stand aside for any to enter. You can see that Trace is already inside chatting with several ponies.

The head priest of the village finishes reading and comes over to the party. He is a fairly tall earth pony, with well-defined muscle tone and a few scars on his forelegs. "I couldn't help but overhear that two among you are a paladin and a Knight of the Sun. Such prestigious ponies do not come here to assist unless they know of troubles. Pray tell me, did you just arrive, or were you here much earlier this night?"
Beryl nods "Yes, we were here a few hours ago, and nopony was here. Though my Paladin senses were going crazy. We tried using the bell in the inn to talk with you, then covered the floor in flour, where somepony scribbled that we had to go to the Barrows." Beryl takes a breath. "We found out somepony had broken in and cast a terrible curse somehow. But we managed to break it, at least I think we did. You're all visible and here again. That's at least better than before."

Beryl then quickly adds "Cross, could you check? My sense is still numb after last time..."

[DigoDragon]

Spirit knocks his hoof against a nearby piece of wood to the tune of 'Shave and a Haircut', quietly gauging the priest's reaction, before taking his nutritionally-complete food to the weak ones and plying what skills he has to help.

[roll0] Insight to see if the priest responds
[roll1]+[roll2] Herbalism to tend to the ill

The priest gives Spirit a confused look, followed by two hoof stomps on a rock. tap tap He then gets it. "Ah, I believe Lima was making that same rhythm when we were trapped."


Tending to the ill, Spirit knows what to do. Wherever the residents went, they were subjected to necrotic effects. For some, breaking the curse could not have come soon enough.


Beryl nods "Yes, we were here a few hours ago, and nopony was here. Though my Paladin senses were going crazy. We tried using the bell in the inn to talk with you, then covered the floor in flour, where somepony scribbled that we had to go to the Barrows." Beryl takes a breath. "We found out somepony had broken in and cast a terrible curse somehow. But we managed to break it, at least I think we did. You're all visible and here again. That's at least better than before."

The priest smiles. "That is likely I who wrote on the flour. We were trapped in... well, I'm not sure how much you know of planar cosmology, but imagine a copy of this place made of pure shadows. Everything was cold, dark, and we could feel it leeching our life-force. We saw some strange lights moving around in the inn and I guess those lights were you. Your voice only came through as garbled echos, unintelligible. The inn cook threw several tables over hoping to get your attention to where the source of this curse might be from in the barrows, but you seemed to linger. An interesting, if dangerous, aspect of the plane was that the more you move about and try to interact with it, the faster it leeches your life. I was lucky to have the strength to write the words I did on the... well I see now it was flour you poured. Good thinking there."

[Jurai]

Crossguard nods. "We'd gotten wind of an attempt on the contents of the Barrows, and moved to try and prevent it." She closes her eyes, and opens them to her Divine Sense.

[McNum]

The priest smiles. "That is likely I who wrote on the flour. We were trapped in... well, I'm not sure how much you know of planar cosmology, but imagine a copy of this place made of pure shadows. Everything was cold, dark, and we could feel it leeching our life-force. We saw some strange lights moving around in the inn and I guess those lights were you. Your voice only came through as garbled echos, unintelligible. The inn cook threw several tables over hoping to get your attention to where the source of this curse might be from in the barrows, but you seemed to linger. An interesting, if dangerous, aspect of the plane was that the more you move about and try to interact with it, the faster it leeches your life. I was lucky to have the strength to write the words I did on the... well I see now it was flour you poured. Good thinking there."
"Thanks. Spirit and me tried to find out if the shadows we saw here were somepony or not, but I'm sorry we took so long to figure it out. Thank you for telling us how urgent it was to get there. We might have lingered... too long... if you hadn't."

Beryl looks around the area, at the weakened ponies, and those who didn't make it. This was a win... but a bittersweet one.

She then adds "My Paladin powers are... almost completely drained. Breaking that curse was a difficult battle. But I am also a baker. If you want, I can lend a hoof to your cook? A warm meal and a kind word won't heal anypony directly... but it might help a little."

[Beacon of Chaos]

Frost doesn't have any healing or food so he decides to ask around to see if there's anything he can do to help.

[One Tin Soldier]

"I can help with healing, too," Midnight says. "It sounds like your cook might be in need of the most urgent help, to start. Unless, uh..." He gestures at the pile of bodies.

[DigoDragon]

Crossguard nods. "We'd gotten wind of an attempt on the contents of the Barrows, and moved to try and prevent it." She closes her eyes, and opens them to her Divine Sense.

The aura of darkness is gone. The land looks cleansed of whatever curse was upon it. It is healing, living, and peaceful once again.



"Thanks. Spirit and me tried to find out if the shadows we saw here were somepony or not, but I'm sorry we took so long to figure it out. Thank you for telling us how urgent it was to get there. We might have lingered... too long... if you hadn't."

Beryl looks around the area, at the weakened ponies, and those who didn't make it. This was a win... but a bittersweet one.

She then adds "My Paladin powers are... almost completely drained. Breaking that curse was a difficult battle. But I am also a baker. If you want, I can lend a hoof to your cook? A warm meal and a kind word won't heal anypony directly... but it might help a little."

"You and your friends have done more than enough as it is," the priest says. "I don't know what else we could ever ask of you, but, we would not stop you from cooking if you wish."

As the priest says this, Beryl can see a few ponies silently crying by the dead, family that has lost loved ones tonight.



Frost doesn't have any healing or food so he decides to ask around to see if there's anything he can do to help.

Frost happens to meet a farmer who needs help putting up some fallen fences to keep the cattle penned. He mentions, as he walks along, that he saw a small group of ponies leave the village to the east. About 4-5 ponies. They seemed not to have been hurt much by the curse, but only left once it was broken since they too were trapped with everyone else.



"I can help with healing, too," Midnight says. "It sounds like your cook might be in need of the most urgent help, to start. Unless, uh..." He gestures at the pile of bodies.

The priest looks at the bodies. "Well, not much can be done with those for now. We just need to care for everyone so that the pile doesn't get larger."

Ace ends up wandering back and forth helping others where he can.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Frost happens to meet a farmer who needs help putting up some fallen fences to keep the cattle penned. He mentions, as he walks along, that he saw a small group of ponies leave the village to the east. About 4-5 ponies. They seemed not to have been hurt much by the curse, but only left once it was broken since they too were trapped with everyone else.
Frost asks if they were local ponies or travellers who were just passing though. Was there anything notable about their attire or attitudes?

[McNum]

"You and your friends have done more than enough as it is," the priest says. "I don't know what else we could ever ask of you, but, we would not stop you from cooking if you wish."

As the priest says this, Beryl can see a few ponies silently crying by the dead, family that has lost loved ones tonight.
As Beryl sees the mourning ponies she sighs a little. "It's nice of you to say that, but looking at everypony here... it doesn't feel like I've done enough yet." Suddnely, Beryl catches herself yawning. "Sorry! Been a long day... I'll go help where I can."

With that, Beryl gives the priest a courteous nod and starts doing what she can. Talking with the chef, playing waitress and bringing food to the mourning ponies, but actually using that as a opener to just give them a chance to talk to a friendly face, and have a shoulder to cry on if they need. If anypony is injured, she'll use what she has left over from Lay on Hooves to heal it.

Beryl will likely keep doing this, despite getting more and more tired, until somepony tells her to stop.

[DigoDragon]

Frost asks if they were local ponies or travellers who were just passing though. Was there anything notable about their attire or attitudes?

The farmer is quick to answer. "Oh I am positive those folks weren't from around here. They came as a bigger group, about twice the numbers that left, and had a couple carts filled with crates. Most folks thought they were just merchants passing through or something, but I had my suspicions. They were more interested setting camp up by the cemetery than staying at the inn. When the curse lifted and we all poofed back here, that group left with their carts. But it's like I said, half of them were missing."

"Speaking of camp, your group have a place for the night? It gets mighty chilly out here. I think the inn is gonna be crowded, so if you need some space, you can use the long house by my place. It's the dark brown house with the red roof over there. Usually where the part-time farm hands stay during harvest season, but they've all left for work elsewhere now. Ain't no one using it."



Beryl will likely keep doing this, despite getting more and more tired, until somepony tells her to stop.

Ace notices sleepy-time Beryl and pulls her aside. "Hey, you don't look too well. I think you should lie down."

[Fable Wright]

When Spirit has done all he can do for the various ill ponies under his care, he'll yawn and head back towards the rest of the party, aiming to find out if they rented the room this time.

[McNum]

Ace notices sleepy-time Beryl and pulls her aside. "Hey, you don't look too well. I think you should lie down."
"But I..." And Beryl's focus just fades away, revealing to her just how tired she really is. "...you're right. Thanks Ace. Let's go find the others, see if they've found somewhere to sleep." Beryl then lets out a really long and unrestrained yawn. One she had been suppressing for a while. "Oh, sorry about that." she mumbles afterwards. This has been a very long day...

[Beacon of Chaos]

The farmer is quick to answer. "Oh I am positive those folks weren't from around here. They came as a bigger group, about twice the numbers that left, and had a couple carts filled with crates. Most folks thought they were just merchants passing through or something, but I had my suspicions. They were more interested setting camp up by the cemetery than staying at the inn. When the curse lifted and we all poofed back here, that group left with their carts. But it's like I said, half of them were missing."

"Speaking of camp, your group have a place for the night? It gets mighty chilly out here. I think the inn is gonna be crowded, so if you need some space, you can use the long house by my place. It's the dark brown house with the red roof over there. Usually where the part-time farm hands stay during harvest season, but they've all left for work elsewhere now. Ain't no one using it."
"That's great, thank you very much."


When Spirit has done all he can do for the various ill ponies under his care, he'll yawn and head back towards the rest of the party, aiming to find out if they rented the room this time.

"But I..." And Beryl's focus just fades away, revealing to her just how tired she really is. "...you're right. Thanks Ace. Let's go find the others, see if they've found somewhere to sleep." Beryl then lets out a really long and unrestrained yawn. One she had been suppressing for a while. "Oh, sorry about that." she mumbles afterwards. This has been a very long day...
Frost meets back up with the others after finishing up his work for the farmer. "A local farmer has offered us a place to stay for the night since the inn will be crowded. However, he also mentioned some that some ponies left right after the curse was lifted. About 10 of them arrived, half of them left, headed East. I'm guess the other half were the ones we found in the barrow. Apparantly they set up camp near the cemetery; might be worth checking out."

[Jurai]

Crossguard trots up after she is released from helping the citizenry. "Any news?" She asks.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Frost relays what he's just learned to Crossguard. "What do you think? Should we investigate their campground?"

[Fable Wright]

Spirit shakes his head. "We've been up for 18 hours and might miss something. Best let it wait for morning; little will happen to disturb the evidence, now that they've left. Besides, how well can you see in this light?"

[Jurai]

Spirit shakes his head. "We've been up for 18 hours and might miss something. Best let it wait for morning; little will happen to disturb the evidence, now that they've left. Besides, how well can you see in this light?"

"Not well enough, but between me and Midnight, we can make enough light to allow us to see, but I agree."

[DigoDragon]

Ace Advice Scenes!

Ace felt a bit like a fifth wheel on a cart. He wasn’t knowledgeable in medicine nor a skilled cook. He settled on helping out in the one way he knew best-- being an errand colt. He fetched blankets for a cleric and chairs for a maid. A farmer asked him to find some buckets and fetch water from the well outside. All the while, Ace was thinking on what he could do to be of more value to his friends. Well, there was one thing.

He had been putting off the choice of which Arcane Tradition he should follow. The Master Librarian didn’t much care to steer her students into any particular school of magic. She just assumed every student would pick the tradition they felt most comfortable with and then she’d beat them into the ground with lessons until they either mastered the school or flunked out. For Ace, the choice would have been Necromancy.

However… his new friends seemed to have mixed feelings on that school of magic. It would be easy for him as he had a decent knack for it, but he didn’t want to put off the ponies that risked themselves just to save his life. Hmm, perhaps if he asked each of them for opinions on what they’d like to see Ace learn? Ace could then pick a school of magic that he could do a decent job at and make himself valuable to the party.

He first sought Beryl as she was nearest and close to the kitchen where the buckets were. The unicorn walked in front of her and nudged the pink pony closer to the pantry. “I’m really sorry to bug you, Beryl, but I need some important advice. I have to write a thesis on a particular school of magic. It would have been Necromancy, because… well for one thing I hoped to use it in order to help my family’s farm. Crops die out pretty easily so I believed Necromancy could protect the life of the farm long enough for harvest season. Buuut some of you don’t feel comfortable and I don’t want to make anyone nervous. I think Spirit mentioned Divination, but I’m not sure. What would you suggest?”

Beryl replied, “I don't know all that much about the different schools of magic. But Spirit had a point. We've run into traps more than once, and the bad guys always seem to be one step ahead of us. It would be nice to have a... Diviner I think he called it on our team. Catch them by surprise for once. Some ponies say that knowledge is power and it would be fun if you knew things that even the Master Librarian hadn't figured out yet, wouldn't it?” She pauses and continues, “If you do want to do the undead thing... I won't stop you. But I won't be happy with it either. It's your choice, though.”

Ace responded with a hug. “Thanks. I don't know if I'll be a good Diviner, but I will try my best if that is my path. For the team!”

Beryl returned the hug, and then afterwards she added, “Yeah, take it from a baker. There's not much of a market for undead flour. You could ask Spirit about helping plants grow, he might know about that.”

“Good point. I’ll do that,” Ace said. He grabbed two buckets and a pole to carry them on his back. With a nod, Ace trotted out of the inn, presumably to go find Spirit.

In reality… eh, well yeah he was going to find Spirit, but somehow Ace figured Spirit will just reaffirm what Beryl had already. Still, Ace had to be thorough in his endeavor because this choice would set his path fore the rest of his wizarding life! Also, undead flour sounded like an awful thing that would turn out terrible muffins. Mmm, the warm soft muffins Beryl made were really sweet. Much like her. Something about Beryl's optimism and determination was infectious, but in a good way. Maybe that's why he took such a shine to her. She had the prettiest personality of the group. Also, one heck of a baker. Why, Ace had never tasted-no wait, he had to focus here! He must concentrate on research, not muffins!

The unicorn found the zebra outside. It looked like Spirit was picking herbs for… well probably for medicines. Or a soup. Mmm… ugh! Ace physically slapped himself. He realized how hungry he was, but he needed to finish the tasks at hoof. Water and research first!

“Hey Spirit?” Ace chirped up as he trotted over. “I wanted to talk to you about my studies. I feel that I've gotten far enough along in them that I should write my... well it is a kind of thesis. Where every young wizard chooses a school of magic to focus on and master. I've kind of put mine off a bit, but I should do that now. Thing is, I'm still hesitant on Divination. I know that you and some of the others think I could be good at predicting stuff, and getting info on the next tomb we break into before we run into the traps would be great, but…”

The little unicorn dug at the ground. “Well, the only reason I studied Necromancy was because I thought it could help my family on their farm. Crops tend to be frail and I thought Necromancy could protect them so that we could harvest more in the season. However, I shouldn't ignore the stigma a lot of ponies put on it. I dunno, Spirit. I just want to be useful to my family but also to you and the others. Not sure what to do for a... middle ground.”

Spirit smiled. “Ace. Bring me back to your family farm in the spring. I promise you, crops blessed by a Druid will not fail. With that said…” He thought for a moment. “Tell me, Ace. Have you thought of what happens when you keep a plant alive that wants to be dead? They still grow their crops, of course, but whatever problems were inhabiting the plant inhabit its fruit, as well. If they were getting no nutrients, the crops will be frail and lackluster, unpalatable to the taste. If they get little water, they will be shriveled and tasteless. If you force your plants to live, they will become an unkillable, blighted mass that spreads across the landscape, scavenging what resources they can from the soil from the other, natural plants in their wake. Necromancy is the school of pure air, of eternity; that which it creates does not leave this earth easily, if at all. With me, Ace, you know I don't care about your ponies' stigmas. I tell you not to focus in necromancy because I don't want to see you bound to a path leading to your sorrow.”

“Oh,” Ace muttered. “That… actually makes some sense.”

Spirit took a breath. “There are... well. The way to best tend to your crops is fire.” He glanced at Ace's startled expression before he continued. “Not literally, of course, but the three elemental schools aligned with Fire. Fire is the element of life, of drive, of success. The three schools of fire, Evocation, Divination, and Transmutation, will be the best for your plants. Evocation, the school of fire and air, is the school to force the earth to bend to your crops. Using force to scoop better soil to the land, burning the chaff for stronger soil, of keeping the soil warm and loose for burgeoning seeds, of killing those insects which threaten your plants, and of claiming the land as your own.”

“Divination, the school of fire aligned with fire, may perhaps be best. Think of it this way. Do you know why your crops are failing?”

Ace shook his head. “Uh… maybe they’re infected by something?”

“Are you sure that's the reason? And is this reason the same year after year? Glimpsing the future as your family works the field, I can tell you with certainty, you will be able to ask them to do small things—plant a crop two inches out of alignment, water one area a bit longer than normal, break a bit early for the day—and see monumental rewards when that misplaced plant doesn't catch fire as Fate demanded, when the over-watered area shows that it had a drainage problem, or when the one-day delay will keep the passing swarm of insects from ravaging crops as they pass. More than this, you will see bigger problems. A season in advance, you could know that a drought is coming, and plant hardier stock. You could know locusts are coming, and blast the lot of them from the sky the moment they approach. You could tell when a flood will occur, and conjure levies beforehand. This knowledge will be a boon of infinite magnitude on your family.”

“And then, of course, there is Transmutation. The school of fire and earth, of volcanoes and new beginnings. Druids, since time before time, have been linked fundamentally to this axis. Without a doubt, I can tell you that through Transmutation, you will be able to directly improve your crops' soil, water, and world. I can also tell you that as a Wizard, your Transmutation of the natural world will be a pale shadow of a Druid's, unable to alter all the tiny details in the land, soil, and sky that your crops will most need. You will be able to aid them, no question... but in a way that I can do better. So long as I know you, I will be willing to visit your farm each spring and deliver the utmost benefit that Transmutation can offer them. This will take all of a day, and my part will be over. I could not fault you from wanting to do this yourself, if you are uncertain how long we will know each other, but I can tell you simply that the powers of Divination and Transmutation together are equally powerful in securing crops' futures, and their power is multiplicative, not additive.” He bowed. “This is all the advice I can offer you, Ace. The choice is yours; I seek only to inform your decision.” Then he went back to gathering herbs for his patients.

Ace had listened carefully and after all was said and done he watched Spirit for a few seconds before he spoke up again. “I think I understand now. Predict how the crop would turn out and then plan around that. Though, I think if I brought you home, my mother would keep you forever. But thanks for explaining it. I should get back to work fetching water from the well. I'll see you in a bit.” Ace trotted off back toward the inn.

Spirit nodded at Ace's assessment and called out. “You of all people should know the value of a good almanac. Imagine having one written about your farm in particular, in detail you couldn't possibly imagine. That is what it is to be a Diviner. As for your mother…” He shakes his head. “She has a husband, and I doubt she'd welcome me making a volcano to lair in. It'd not end well, really.” He smiles a bit at his half-joke, then waves Ace off to the well and continues gathering his herbs.

Ace smiled at Spirit's joke and continued on his way. As he walked toward the well, he thought of his mother. She never had a ‘husband’ in any sense of the word. Those stallions were all just a series of estranged lovers that changed with the seasons. Maybe that’s why his home life was a mess compared to the upbringing others had.

The well was in sight, but Ace also saw Frostbite with one of the farmers. This was an opportunity! Frost would know the arcane on a level Ace could relate to.

The little unicorn caught up with Frost when the farmer had stepped away. He looked quite hopeful. “Frost, you seem to know a good bit about magic, so I thought to ask you first. See, I'm supposed to write a... well it's like a thesis. I need to pick a school of magic to focus my studies on and develop a kind of... signature for it. I always thought Necromancy would be my calling, because maybe I can use it to keep the fragile crops on my family farm from dying so quickly. However, I don't want to make the paladins annoyed at me. Some of our friends think I should go into Divination, but I want to know your thoughts about magic. You know the arcane better than anyone here. I want magic that can help both my family's farm survive bad harvests and keep you and your friends safe in dungeons.”

“Focusing on a school of magic, huh? Hmm.” Frost seemed to think long and hard about this before answering. “Well, normally I say that if necromancy is your calling, stick with that. Why fight your nature? That said, I can't think of a way necromancy would help your family's crops beyond maybe killing any pests. Well... maybe if you were using zombies for labour, but that just has problems of its own. The undead freak ponies out.” He stopped to think again.

“Have you considered transmutation? It's a very versatile school. My friend, Ash, he... he had this spell that could make him change into any other pony, was good for a laugh when he'd do impressions. Heh,” he allowed himself a moment to remember the good times. “But for you, well I've heard that high level transmuters can control the weather over a large scale, without the need for pegasi. That'd be good to have. Or you could haste your workers to get chores done sooner, animate scarecrows to protect the crops, redirect water for irrigation. Really, there's a lot you could do with that. Most of it would have combat uses to, if you want to be an adventurer.”

Ace looked very interested in the wonders of this spell school. “Control weather and time? Animate things to do my bidding? Bend water to my will? That might actually be what I'm looking for! I thought Transmutation was just changing apples to oranges, but I did not realize it could do much more than that. Thanks, Frost!” He was about to hug Frost again, but stopped and this time just offered a hoofbump to respect personal space.

“Any time, Ace. Glad to help out.” Frost returned the hoofbump with a smile.

“By the way, I was wondering if I could look at your spellbook. I know that's a rather personal thing to ask a wizard, but I'm interested in learning more about the academic side of magic and so I figured maybe I could pick up some tips from you?”

Ace hesitated, as it was a personal belonging, but he pulled out a book that felt quite stiff and rugged. Ace trusted Frost with it. “This one is my traveling spellbook. It isn't quite as organized as my bigger one.” He cast a light spell upon his horn so that Frost saw the contents clearly. Perhaps a bit too clear, as one of the early pages had a caricature of the Master Librarian with the phrase 'I am the M.L. and I smell'. Ace tried to move past that page without a word.

Each spell written in this book was written down almost akin to sets of blueprints. The incantations, gestures, the breakdown of required material components, it was all structured in very precise formulas and diagrams that only someone knowledgeable in the arcane would have known what they were looking at. Which of course, Frost was such a pony. But magic for Frost came naturally, whereas it was clear that Ace needed these instructions in order to perform the same kind of magic. Natural talent versus learned skill. However, it was possible Frost could be inspired later on as he gained experience with his own magic talents.

“Anything in particular you were curious to know?” Ace asked.

Frost looked over the spellbook with keen interest. He didn’t quite understand all the minutia but he had a better feeling for how wizardry differs from sorcery. He lingered on the detect magic and charm pony spells. “This is really interesting stuff! I suppose I'm curious how this ritual thing works…”

Ace took the book back gently. A yawn betrayed his focus. “Maybe… sometime we can get together and I can tell you more about rituals. Thanks, Frost.” With a wave he picked up his buckets and walked over to the well. finally, the main task is nearly done.

The unicorn tied one bucket to the end of the pulley and lowered it. It was dark out, but he heard a gentle splash down below. Ace then pulled the bucket back up. It was significantly heavier. He thought about how lucky Frost was, in that magic came to him naturally whereas Ace had to study hard to learn even the simplest spells. However, it seemed like Ace had something he could teach Frost in return; Ritual magic. The little unicorn couldn't help but feel like Frost was a potential big brother. Maybe because his actual big brother knew some strong Evocation spells too, but Frost was much more patient. Ace needed patience in a mentor. The unicorn repeated the task with the other bucket and a second time he pulled up more water. He felt a little more important.

Ace returned to the inn with the buckets of water. Strength was never something Ace had to train. Magic required intense exercises of the mind. Muscles were for soldiers and farmers, according to the Master Librarian anyway. Still, the scrawny unicorn managed alright with bringing the water in. After he had put down the buckets, he saw Midnight tending to ill residents.

The unicorn waited until Midnight paused between patients and he trotted up to pull him aside. “What do you really think of Necromancy?” he said out of the blue. “Is it truly too ingrained with the dead that it couldn't also protect life? I need to work on a... thesis of sorts. Basically devote myself to a specific school of magic. I used to think Necromancy was my calling, using such magic to help my family's farm. Now I'm not sure and some of your friends seem to think that Divination is the way to go. I know your magic doesn't work quite like mine, but I value your opinion because no one knows Necromancy the way you would see it.”

“Well... You're right, I didn't learn magic in 'schools' like you and Spirit have been talking about. But…” Midnight paused to gather his thoughts. “The way I see it, any magic can be used for good, even if it is evil in nature. You can command a zombie to fight off a monster. But you've still made a zombie, and it can be used for evil more easily than something else might. Plus you've still taken some pony's body and used it as a tool.”

“I guess I'd say that if you are really determined to turn Necromancy into a tool for good, then I'll try and help keep your damage to a minimum. But doing good will be a whole lot easier if you pursue something different.”

Ace thought for a moment. He eventually nodded. “I don't want to cause trouble with the group. You are my first friends and you all did rescue me. Terrible first impression I ever made... well, I guess if I want to do 'good' I could pick a school that doesn't deal in killing or blowing stuff up. So, Evocation is probably out too. I guess that helps narrow the field slightly. Thanks Midnight.” He bowed, an attempt to be respectful, and took his leave to figure out things.

So, now Ace felt confident he had pinned exactly why some of his friends were nervous about Necromancy. It was the usage of dead bodies to make... undead bodies. However, not all Necromancy was about making someone's dead grandma come back to a semblance of life (funny as that sounded, but dark humor was rarely a shared trait among ponies outside the school). As long as any spells Ace learned was more on the gray side of things, like bolstering one's life or sickening an enemy spellcaster, it should be okay! Hmm...

With the buckets of water delivered, Ace saw that things had calmed down at the inn. Ponies have gone home to sleep or had passed out here and upstairs. Then, Ace saw Crossguard over with the last patients of the night. He hadn’t asked her yet, and perhaps she had insight. Maybe not on magic schools, but on decision making? He walked over and nudged her to the side for a private talk.

“Crossguard? Sorry to interrupt something really important, but I was wondering if you could help me?” Ace asked, “You seem to always know how to decide when tough choices come up, and I have a really hard decision to make. I need to create a sort of... thesis on one particular school of magic. Some seem to think Divination is better than Necromancy, but I find the latter easier to do.”

Ace quickly put a hoof up in defense. “Not to create undead. No, I uh... more to manipulate life in order to protect it. Like, back home on the farm my family's crops die off a lot and I thought Necromancy might help keep it alive longer for harvest. That's why I studied it, but maybe you know a better way that I could help the farm and help you in your adventures.”

Crossguard nodded. “Your mentor and I had this argument a while back. I would honestly suggest that you take Abjuration, the art of protection and negation, since those spells are some of the better defensive spells, and nothing stops you from reading the bones or manipulating plant life.” She smiled at the apprentice colt. “From what I remember my tutor teaching me in my childhood, you can still learn those spells if you focus on another school, but they won't be as powerful. Now, I don't mean to rush you off, but I need to get back to helping with the citizens. Think deeply on this subject before you make your decision. No reason to rush into a career you don't know about.”

“Thank you Crossguard, that is... actually really good advice!” Ace hesitated for just a moment, but then leaned in and gave Crossguard a hug. He then trotted off to gather his things.

As he packed his saddlebag, Ace wondered if Crossguard might be a fun pony underneath that no-nonsense exterior. Surely even she knew what 'fun' was, right? He thought about a possible pet project later to see if it was possible to make Crossguard laugh. Yes, this sounded like a fun idea. What could possibly go wrong?

"Surprise Batpony!" Trace exclaimed to a startled little pony.

Spoken too soon. The unicorn caught his breath and picked up his dropped bags. "Uh, can I help you?" Ace asked.

"More like the other way around, Peewee," Trace replied. "I saw you chatting it up with the others and it didn't take much to figure out your game."

Ace gulped a little. Trace tended to worry him. A lot. "Uh... what game?"

"The secret you've been hiding... All this time I wondered why you stick with us despite the dangers, but I figured it out. It's written all over your face," Trace said with a cocky grin. "...you got eyes for Crossguard, don't you?"

The little unicorn sputtered as if punched in the gut. "Err, what?"

The batpony leaned on the little unicorn's head. "Well it is obvious. Cross is the only one you haven't hugged or hoofbumped. You also tend to avoid her gaze whenever Necromancy is talked about. It's pretty obvious since she was the last one you talked to, but hey, you're secret is safe with me. I'm not even gonna charge you for this one. Pro bono stuff. By the way, has Muffins said anything about baking more cookies soon?"

"I, err... no?"

"Okay, good. I haven't missed out then. That bowl will one day be mine," Trace promised. "Anyway, short-stack, gotta jet. I have a lead, but it'll take me in the other direction the others want to go. Let them know I'm looking up a friend and I'll catch up with everyone later. You all aren't hard to find. See ya..." Trace gracefully moved through the crowds and disappeared into the shadows.

Ace scratched his head. "I want whatever he's been drinking." He made his way out to where his friends have been gathering.

Now Ace knew what path he was to take. He understood his traveling companions a little more as well. Useful in order to better help them out in the next adventurous dungeon or wherever they may be. He just needed to... *YAWN* Sleep on it and in the morning write that thesis. Studies would then begin, and his future was looking bright. Everything is coming up Ace!

[Fable Wright]

Spirit nods tiredly, heads over to the longhouse, lights the fireplace, drapes a blanket over his gator, then promptly collapses to sleep. It had been a long day of travel and treating ponies, but that was over now. Now was the time to rest and recharge.

[McNum]

Beryl slowly walks to the longhouse, too. As she enters she picks out a bed, and just lets her armor and bags fall in a pile next to it with a semi-metallic thud.

"Everypony, we did good today..." she mumbles as she sits on the bed. She barely has time to lie down and pull on her blanket before falling asleep. "Good night..."

Beryl is out like a light.

[DigoDragon]

Spirit nods tiredly, heads over to the longhouse, lights the fireplace, drapes a blanket over his gator, then promptly collapses to sleep. It had been a long day of travel and treating ponies, but that was over now. Now was the time to rest and recharge.

Ace picks a bed away from said warm gator. He eats some rations from his bag to keep his stomach content until morning and then buries himself completely under his winter blanket. Anyone looking can see the soft glow of a light under the blanket as Ace pulls out a journal. He begins scribbling a little triangular diagram on a page, mumbling words. "Abjuration- the shield to protect the party. Transmutation- the sword to slay my enemies. And the crown... Divination- one school to know them all..."

The light goes out and Ace is apparently fast asleep under the blanket.



"Everypony, we did good today..." she mumbles as she sits on the bed. She barely has time to lie down and pull on her blanket before falling asleep. "Good night..."

Beryl is out like a light.

It was dark. Night. Gloom. Beryl could see that the ground is swampy muck with only a few patchy of relatively dry land. The sounds of insects were very muted. She could see that there was a pony across from her standing on a log. She was quite tall and wore a very tarnished breastplate with a leafy pattern. Her green mane was long and had little bits of branches to tie it together in loose braids. The mare walked across the log with perfect balance until she was quite close to Beryl. She looked down, her amber-colored eyes studying Beryl carefully.

[McNum]

It was dark. Night. Gloom. Beryl could see that the ground is swampy muck with only a few patchy of relatively dry land. The sounds of insects were very muted. She could see that there was a pony across from her standing on a log. She was quite tall and wore a very tarnished breastplate with a leafy pattern. Her green mane was long and had little bits of branches to tie it together in loose braids. The mare walked across the log with perfect balance until she was quite close to Beryl. She looked down, her amber-colored eyes studying Beryl carefully.
Beryl feels the stare of the pony. "Hello?" she hears herself call out. "Can I help you with something?"

[Beacon of Chaos]

Frost, too, find himself writing, though he doesn't stay up as long as Ace. He has no journal nor quill, but he finds a few scraps of paper and some charcoal to write with, and begins scribbling down ideas as fast as his earth pony mouthwriting will allow (among the notes: learn how to write with magic).

By the time he is finished, he has a messy pile of papers with the word spell book scrawled at the top. He wipes the charcoal residue from his mouth, blows out the candle, and settles down for a restful sleep.

[Jurai]

Crossguard doesn't write, but instead snuffs her candle with magic, and yawns. "Sleep well, everypony." She goes to sleep after pulling her blanket up.

[DigoDragon]

As Spirit and Frost sleep, they enter a shared dream. It is a small study, poorly lit, but comfortable, with plush chairs and shelves full of blank books. There were no windows, only a single door that is open. In through the door walks in the Master Librarian.

She pushes the pair of glasses on the bridge of her nose up and frowns. "Hmm, only two... well, I suppose it'll do for now." She claps her hooves and a tray with tea and crumpets appears from the ether and floats in front of Spirit and Frost.


Crossguard doesn't write, but instead snuffs her candle with magic, and yawns. "Sleep well, everypony." She goes to sleep after pulling her blanket up.

Crossguard finds herself at a doorway to a windowless study. She can see Frost, Spirit, and the Master Librarian inside. The Librarian turns and nods to Cross. "Ah good. So at least half of you have passable bed times."



Beryl feels the stare of the pony. "Hello?" she hears herself call out. "Can I help you with something?"

"There is no 'Me' to be helped, Beryl," the mare stated. "We are an extension of your subconscious memory. We are you from ages before. We. Are. One."

At this point, another pony came into view. He was middle-aged and donned in weathered chainshirt with a heavy dark-green cloak over him. He pulled the hood back to reveal a charcoal coat with flecks of gray hairs. "You have reached an important crossroad in your journey, Beryl. You have been at this crossroad many times before, although you did not remember until now. It is time to take up the mantle once again. The cycle begins anew."

[Jurai]

Crossguard finds herself at a doorway to a windowless study. She can see Frost, Spirit, and the Master Librarian inside. The Librarian turns and nods to Cross. "Ah good. So at least half of you have passable bed times."

"Thank you, Master Librarian. So, we're still waiting for Beryl, Trace, Midnight, and Ace, it seems."

[Beacon of Chaos]

As Spirit and Frost sleep, they enter a shared dream. It is a small study, poorly lit, but comfortable, with plush chairs and shelves full of blank books. There were no windows, only a single door that is open. In through the door walks in the Master Librarian.

She pushes the pair of glasses on the bridge of her nose up and frowns. "Hmm, only two... well, I suppose it'll do for now." She claps her hooves and a tray with tea and crumpets appears from the ether and floats in front of Spirit and Frost.

Crossguard finds herself at a doorway to a windowless study. She can see Frost, Spirit, and the Master Librarian inside. The Librarian turns and nods to Cross. "Ah good. So at least half of you have passable bed times."
Frost grabs a crumpet without really thinking about it. He eats the whole thing, chewing slowly before swallowing. Then, after brushing the crumbs off his hooves, he clears his throat.

"What."

[Fable Wright]

Spirit looks down at the cup of tea, and attempts to will the black liquid into a much more palatable cup of spiders. If he's dreaming, why not have at least have the amenities of home on hand?

He looks up at the Master Librarian and gets straight to business. "So. Master Librarian, why didn't you tell us about Valiance the Grey's involvement with the Brotherhood? Or about the relics of the failed lich that the Brotherhood seems to be looking for? Such knowledge might have been invaluable earlier today." Then he realizes something. "Wait, can you get Azurah into this dream as well? It would save us two days of travel, and mean that we'd not have to ferry information between the two of you later on."

[McNum]

"There is no 'Me' to be helped, Beryl," the mare stated. "We are an extension of your subconscious memory. We are you from ages before. We. Are. One."

At this point, another pony came into view. He was middle-aged and donned in weathered chainshirt with a heavy dark-green cloak over him. He pulled the hood back to reveal a charcoal coat with flecks of gray hairs. "You have reached an important crossroad in your journey, Beryl. You have been at this crossroad many times before, although you did not remember until now. It is time to take up the mantle once again. The cycle begins anew."
Beryl is staring in awe. A voice speaks, it is her own. "You're... me?" she listens as the obvious question echoes. Again the pink voice speaks "What mantle? What cycle?" A floating thought somewhere tell Beryl that these ponies are to be trusted even if what they say is strange.

[Jurai]

Crossguard levitates a cup of tea with her magic and sniffs it. "Smells like a... Pegasus blend, if I'm correct." Crossguard says, and sips it. "Thank you."

[DigoDragon]

Beryl is staring in awe. A voice speaks, it is her own. "You're... me?" she listens as the obvious question echoes. Again the pink voice speaks "What mantle? What cycle?" A floating thought somewhere tell Beryl that these ponies are to be trusted even if what they say is strange.

The water below Beryl bubbles softly, but instead of her reflection, it is of a minty-green Crystal Pony. As the bubbles pop they release their lexicon. "Your cycle, Heliodor of the Twelve Peers. You have walked the world many times and have taken many names... or have you forgotten them? The Precursors, the Star Children, the Palad... you are of an ancient order destined to hold back the darkness from veiling the world."

The tall mare appeared beside Beryl. "Darkness threatens to return to these lands. Use our knowledge. Wield it as your saber, and bring peace to the land once more as you did before. You need but to just ask the right questions."



Frost grabs a crumpet without really thinking about it. He eats the whole thing, chewing slowly before swallowing. Then, after brushing the crumbs off his hooves, he clears his throat.

"What."

Crossguard levitates a cup of tea with her magic and sniffs it. "Smells like a... Pegasus blend, if I'm correct." Crossguard says, and sips it. "Thank you."

"But of course." The Master Librarian drank from an empty cup. "I must be brief- A powerful binding of cursed magic has been severed this night, and I fear it is where you all currently sleep. I fear, because that magic was meant to hold something, to lock it away forever. I must go... 'research' something, but you are welcome to the library at the college here if you wish to return. I'll see to it that Ivy tends to your needs."



Spirit looks down at the cup of tea, and attempts to will the black liquid into a much more palatable cup of spiders. If he's dreaming, why not have at least have the amenities of home on hand?

It works!



He looks up at the Master Librarian and gets straight to business. "So. Master Librarian, why didn't you tell us about Valiance the Grey's involvement with the Brotherhood? Or about the relics of the failed lich that the Brotherhood seems to be looking for? Such knowledge might have been invaluable earlier today." Then he realizes something. "Wait, can you get Azurah into this dream as well? It would save us two days of travel, and mean that we'd not have to ferry information between the two of you later on."

"I have my reasons! I must go now, time is limited. Azurah is likely on a hunt this night and cannot be reached by dream-walking, but I'll send word by my magic of what occurred. You must find out where the Brotherhood plans to strike next and stop them by any means necessary."

The Master Librarian suddenly jerks her head to the right and looks off into the distance, as if viewing something you cannot perceive. She quickly gets up and gallops out the only door in haste. As soon as she is through, she vanishes, leaving you all alone in the shared dream.

[Jurai]

Crossguard nods. "We shall rout them as the dawn routs the night."

[McNum]

The water below Beryl bubbles softly, but instead of her reflection, it is of a minty-green Crystal Pony. As the bubbles pop they release their lexicon. "Your cycle, Heliodor of the Twelve Peers. You have walked the world many times and have taken many names... or have you forgotten them? The Precursors, the Star Children, the Palad... you are of an ancient order destined to hold back the darkness from veiling the world."

The tall mare appeared beside Beryl. "Darkness threatens to return to these lands. Use our knowledge. Wield it as your saber, and bring peace to the land once more as you did before. You need but to just ask the right questions."
Silence reigns for a moment. This was much to take in. Many thoughts swirl around Beryl. They said "Palad" this was what Spirit said. They want questions... the right questions?

"I did forget, but a friend told me of the Palad." Beryl's voice says. "I apologize, what order are we talking about?" but Beryl immediately thinks that the name might not be that important. She thinks that many questions could be asked, but not a lot seem urgent. One question floats above all the others. "What must I do?" it hangs in the air, looking for a followup "What DID I do?"

Despite being told a lot, Beryl doesn't feel overwhelmed. It's... more of a reminder of something she didn't know, as paradoxically as that seems.

[DigoDragon]

Crossguard nods. "We shall rout them as the dawn routs the night."

Crossguard's tea cup is mysteriously full again.



Silence reigns for a moment. This was much to take in. Many thoughts swirl around Beryl. They said "Palad" this was what Spirit said. They want questions... the right questions?

"I did forget, but a friend told me of the Palad." Beryl's voice says. "I apologize, what order are we talking about?" but Beryl immediately thinks that the name might not be that important. She thinks that many questions could be asked, but not a lot seem urgent. One question floats above all the others. "What must I do?" it hangs in the air, looking for a followup "What DID I do?"

Despite being told a lot, Beryl doesn't feel overwhelmed. It's... more of a reminder of something she didn't know, as paradoxically as that seems.

"You must pick up where you have left off, Heliodor. The Temple of Dusk in Arendale," the stallion said. "Will you pick up where you have left off? Will you continue your quest against the returning darkness?"

[Beacon of Chaos]

"But of course." The Master Librarian drank from an empty cup. "I must be brief- A powerful binding of cursed magic has been severed this night, and I fear it is where you all currently sleep. I fear, because that magic was meant to hold something, to lock it away forever. I must go... 'research' something, but you are welcome to the library at the college here if you wish to return. I'll see to it that Ivy tends to your needs."

"I have my reasons! I must go now, time is limited. Azurah is likely on a hunt this night and cannot be reached by dream-walking, but I'll send word by my magic of what occurred. You must find out where the Brotherhood plans to strike next and stop them by any means necessary."

The Master Librarian suddenly jerks her head to the right and looks off into the distance, as if viewing something you cannot perceive. She quickly gets up and gallops out the only door in haste. As soon as she is through, she vanishes, leaving you all alone in the shared dream.
Frost sits quietly while the Librarian talks. He grabs a cup and is about to take a sip when he sees Spirit's cup suddenly fill with spiders. He promptly throws the cup behind him.

When the Librarian leaves, Frost gets up. "Well, that was... a thing that happened. Next time I think I'd prefer a sending spell. Now, hopefully I have time for a proper dream." He then proceeds to the open door, assuming it will let him exit.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit takes a sip from his cup of spiders, enjoying the crunch and venom, before willing the dreamscape around him, in the hopes of adding additional comforts. Like a window. And a volcanic landscape outside. Maybe a few lava flows drifting by the window. "It seems like we've stumbled across something much bigger than it appears. We've entered a tarn, only to find that the vent below hasn't died out." He smiles peacefully. "Normally, I'd have few problems with this 'Brotherhood.' But a smelting like this doesn't happen often, and the opportunities limitless; Crossguard, you can count on my aid, for now."

[McNum]

"You must pick up where you have left off, Heliodor. The Temple of Dusk in Arendale," the stallion said. "Will you pick up where you have left off? Will you continue your quest against the returning darkness?"
The question lingers in the air. Big questions. Fate. Destiny. Light and darkness. But... Beryl is just a mere baker? Can she even...? Wha would her family think..? Is she even worthy?

Beryl's voice speaks, a tone of doubt has entered it. "I-" but something happens that interrupts it. Another pink voice?

"Oh, COME ON!"

The voice pierces the dark, snapping Beryl out of her doubts, who is this? She looks around, and finds... a little pink filly strawberry-red mane, and piercing green eyes staring directly into her own. she knows this filly, it is herself. The filly looks like it has cried recently.

An accusation! "Are you REALLY going to turn this down!?"
A reply "But... all those dead ponies. I couldn't save them. I'm no hero. Just a baker playing at one."

The filly pouts. "Not a hero? Want to ask Rita who you pulled out of despair?" An image of Rita smiling appears in the dark. "Want to ask Ace, who you saved from the Brotherhood doing who knows what to him?" An image of Ace hugging Beryl from earlier tonight appears. "Or how about the ENTIRE TOWN OF KOLDSTONE, which wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you?" Suddenly, the area is filled with images of ponies all smiling tiredly at Beryl. "Face it, you ARE a hero! To all of these ponies, and to all you'll help in the future!"

A smile and a tear finds themselves on Beryl's face. She can't deny any of this. "But... I couldn't save everypony. Ponies died because I was too slow!" she weakly retorts.

The filly jumps at Beryl and hugs her. "I love that you care. But don't despair. If you do... the darkness won. Mourn them if you must, save them if you can. But press forward. Be a light. A protector. An example. An inspiration. Show everypony that even when the darkness comes, things aren't as bad as they seem."

A realization "...like I've always been doing." And a question. "Who are you? I wasn't like this as a foal."

"I am you. I am who you'd be if you hadn't forgotten. If that terrible night never happened." the foal giggles a little "But you know what's funny? I think you'll be a better hero than I could ever have been. Because you DO care!"

A resolve! "Right!" Beryl looks around the room, not only surrounded by herselves of the past once more. "I can count of all of you, who are me, when we do this?"

"Then let's do this!"

The foal is smiling, and the grown pink crystal pony has a look of determination on her face.

[DigoDragon]

The question lingers in the air. Big questions. Fate. Destiny. Light and darkness. But... Beryl is just a mere baker? Can she even...? Wha would her family think..? Is she even worthy?

Beryl's voice speaks, a tone of doubt has entered it. "I-" but something happens that interrupts it. Another pink voice?

"Oh, COME ON!"

The voice pierces the dark, snapping Beryl out of her doubts, who is this? She looks around, and finds... a little pink filly strawberry-red mane, and piercing green eyes staring directly into her own. she knows this filly, it is herself. The filly looks like it has cried recently.

An accusation! "Are you REALLY going to turn this down!?"
A reply "But... all those dead ponies. I couldn't save them. I'm no hero. Just a baker playing at one."

The filly pouts. "Not a hero? Want to ask Rita who you pulled out of despair?" An image of Rita smiling appears in the dark. "Want to ask Ace, who you saved from the Brotherhood doing who knows what to him?" An image of Ace hugging Beryl from earlier tonight appears. "Or how about the ENTIRE TOWN OF KOLDSTONE, which wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you?" Suddenly, the area is filled with images of ponies all smiling tiredly at Beryl. "Face it, you ARE a hero! To all of these ponies, and to all you'll help in the future!"

A smile and a tear finds themselves on Beryl's face. She can't deny any of this. "But... I couldn't save everypony. Ponies died because I was too slow!" she weakly retorts.

The filly jumps at Beryl and hugs her. "I love that you care. But don't despair. If you do... the darkness won. Mourn them if you must, save them if you can. But press forward. Be a light. A protector. An example. An inspiration. Show everypony that even when the darkness comes, things aren't as bad as they seem."

A realization "...like I've always been doing." And a question. "Who are you? I wasn't like this as a foal."

"I am you. I am who you'd be if you hadn't forgotten. If that terrible night never happened." the foal giggles a little "But you know what's funny? I think you'll be a better hero than I could ever have been. Because you DO care!"

A resolve! "Right!" Beryl looks around the room, not only surrounded by herselves of the past once more. "I can count of all of you, who are me, when we do this?"

"Then let's do this!"

The foal is smiling, and the grown pink crystal pony has a look of determination on her face.

The various memories of the past gather around Beryl and begin reciting an oath from days long past antiquity. It is strange yet so familiar to Beryl. As if she has recited it dozens of times before.

"Kindle Inspiration," speaks the tall armored mare. "Through acts of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness I will inspire the light of hope in the world to beat back despair."

"Protect the Light," the graying stallion says. "Where there is good, beauty, love, and laughter in the world, I will protect the light from the wickedness of hate."

"Preserve Confidence," the bubbling reflection recites. "I will keep song and laughter, beauty and art within my heart. Without the light of hope, I cannot inspire others to stand tall."

"Be an Example!" the filly Beryl shouts bravely. "I will be a heroic beacon to light the way for all who live in shadow! The light of my joy and courage will shine forth in all my deeds!"



Frost sits quietly while the Librarian talks. He grabs a cup and is about to take a sip when he sees Spirit's cup suddenly fill with spiders. He promptly throws the cup behind him.

Although the cup clatters around on the floor and ends up on its side, not a drop is spilled.



When the Librarian leaves, Frost gets up. "Well, that was... a thing that happened. Next time I think I'd prefer a sending spell. Now, hopefully I have time for a proper dream." He then proceeds to the open door, assuming it will let him exit.

The door leads into the darkness, but the scent is familiar. It smells acutely of the longhouse he was in. Frost can almost make out the dim embers in the fireplace.



Spirit takes a sip from his cup of spiders, enjoying the crunch and venom, before willing the dreamscape around him, in the hopes of adding additional comforts. Like a window. And a volcanic landscape outside. Maybe a few lava flows drifting by the window. "It seems like we've stumbled across something much bigger than it appears. We've entered a tarn, only to find that the vent below hasn't died out." He smiles peacefully. "Normally, I'd have few problems with this 'Brotherhood.' But a smelting like this doesn't happen often, and the opportunities limitless; Crossguard, you can count on my aid, for now."

There is a faint rumble heard outside, like the slow rumble of a volcano... yet no portal or pane of glass appears on the wall. It would seem that the Master Librarian doesn't do windows.

[McNum]

The various memories of the past gather around Beryl and begin reciting an oath from days long past antiquity. It is strange yet so familiar to Beryl. As if she has recited it dozens of times before.

"Kindle Inspiration," speaks the tall armored mare. "Through acts of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness I will inspire the light of hope in the world to beat back despair."

"Protect the Light," the graying stallion says. "Where there is good, beauty, love, and laughter in the world, I will protect the light from the wickedness of hate."

"Preserve Confidence," the bubbling reflection recites. "I will keep song and laughter, beauty and art within my heart. Without the light of hope, I cannot inspire others to stand tall."

"Be an Example!" the filly Beryl shouts bravely. "I will be a heroic beacon to light the way for all who live in shadow! The light of my joy and courage will shine forth in all my deeds!"
Beryl finds herself confident like she never was before. She knows those words, and yet feel urged to repeat them.

"Kindle Inspiration!" she begins "Through acts of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness I will inspire the light of hope in the world to beat back despair."

Her body flashes, with a warm glowing light from the inside.

"Protect the Light!" Beryl continues "Where there is good, beauty, love, and laughter in the world, I will protect the light from the wickedness of hate."

Another pulse of the glow appears.

"Preserve Confidence!" she responds "I will keep song and laughter, beauty and art within my heart. Without the light of hope, I cannot inspire others to stand tall."

Her body now glowing like when touching the Crystal Heart.

"Be an Example!" the adult Beryl shouts back. "I will be a heroic beacon to light the way for all who live in shadow! The light of my joy and courage will shine forth in all my deeds!"

Beryl's eyes start glowing a bright green.

"For I am Beryl Bakestone, she who was Heliodor of the Twelve Peers, of the Star Children, of the Palad! I will continue our quest against the darkness!"

The glow inside Beryl's body increases rapidly.

"This I swear!"

And then all was light. A golden-pink light spreads from Beryl, enveloping all, shooing away the darkness in the very dream. She finds herself standing in an infinite plane of white, all alone. Almost...

"That was so awesome! Come on, the others are waiting!"

Beryl finds herself pointing to her back, and her foal self gladly hops on. Whatever the road brings, she won't have to face it alone. For she is Beryl, inheritor of Heliodor of the Twelve Peers.

"...yes, we do have to come up with a shorthand for that, but come on already, we need to get going!"

And so they went ahead, into the light...

[Jurai]

Crossguard drinks her tea, and smiles. "Thank you, Master Librarian. I apologize for grazing and galloping, but I must take my leave."

[Beacon of Chaos]

The door leads into the darkness, but the scent is familiar. It smells acutely of the longhouse he was in. Frost can almost make out the dim embers in the fireplace.
Frost grumbles and allows himself to drift back to sleep, hoping to dream of magic and dragons and cups that are completely devoid of spiders.

[One Tin Soldier]

By the time Midnight arrives at the longhouse, everyone else is fast asleep. One young colt had proven a lot trickier than he had expected, especially once he had exhausted his ability to heal wounds directly. And a background in battlefield medicine and cleaning wounds wasn't exactly what he needed to treat a bad cough. But all the same, he felt like he had done a fair job. Now he just wanted to get to sleep.

He takes off his new armor as quietly as he ca, placing it next to his old scale mail. He would have to figure out something to do with that. Tomorrow.

Resting comfortably among the rafters of the longhouse, Midnight quickly drifts off to sleep.

[DigoDragon]

He takes off his new armor as quietly as he ca, placing it next to his old scale mail. He would have to figure out something to do with that. Tomorrow.

Resting comfortably among the rafters of the longhouse, Midnight quickly drifts off to sleep.

Midnight has no strange dream. In fact, there are vague scenes of him with Rita in the kitchen, cooking together as she hums a sweet melody. The picture of serene rest. Midnight awakens the next morning refreshed.



Frost grumbles and allows himself to drift back to sleep, hoping to dream of magic and dragons and cups that are completely devoid of spiders.

Crossguard drinks her tea, and smiles. "Thank you, Master Librarian. I apologize for grazing and galloping, but I must take my leave."

Willing yourself back to sleep or awake seems to do the trick, as you feel yourself slowly pulled away from the shared dream...


And so they went ahead, into the light...[/SPOILER]

...and then a bright day glowing pink pony with a smaller brighter oh my Solaris it's like carrying the sun pink pony on her back bursts through the shared dream like a charging rhino shining like a million torches at once and shatters the dream faster than a bolt of lightning flashing brighter than bolts of lightning are bright and everyone suddenly finds themselves awaking with the morning sun in their face peeking through the windows of the longhouse brighter than whatever metaphors left I haven't used that basically describe getting a sunrise in the face!!

Except for Midnight, he got the one bed spared from the glare.


Also, Crossguard finds a tea cup on her bed. There is still a few cold drops of pegasus tea in it.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit wakes up and stretches. "As I thought. We are in a scalding tarn, and rapidly undergoing metamorphism." He walks over to the fireplace with a small grin on his face, utters a word to light it up once more, stands a small glass vial upright next to it and secures it in place with his packs, before turning into a small golden-black frog and hops in the vial, aiming to sweat small amounts of toxin into the vial before hopping out. Then he stoppers this, too, before carefully putting it into his herbalism kit alongside the other toxins he's collected, before turning into yet another venomous snake and milking himself for venom in a sixth vial.

That done, he sighs contentedly, and turns to the party. "Do you believe we can reach Basuto by tonight? If so, I've a few messages to send out this morning, and I'll need some volunteers to try and negotiate with a vampire spawn."

[McNum]

As Beryl wakes up a voice echoes through her head "Sorrrrryyyy..." She climbs out of bed and stretches.

Apart from that bit of morning weirdness, Beryl is feeling fine. She's feeling great. Absolutely... radiant? "...am I glowing?" she says quietly as she holds up a hoof to her face. It is, in fact, glowing. Looking around, she notices that the light around her comes from her. "Okaaaay... Did anypony put the Crystal Heart in my bed when I was sleeping, or is this something else?" she asks out loud, not really expecting an answer.

[Beacon of Chaos]

"As I thought. We are in a scalding tarn, and rapidly undergoing metamorphism."
Frost wakes up, groggy as always. "...what does that even mean?"

He picks up his "spell book" from the bedside table and looks at it. "Hmm. No, that bit's wrong... This rune goes here... This sylable should be a hard 'shk' sound..." Eventually, he stops, having drawn a magic circle on another page.

"Cherub, I want to try something out. Mind helping me, buddy?" He sits Cherub in the centre of the circle and begins quietly chanting a few magic words.

Beginning the spell to make Cherub my familiar.

[DigoDragon]

Apart from that bit of morning weirdness, Beryl is feeling fine. She's feeling great. Absolutely... radiant? "...am I glowing?" she says quietly as she holds up a hoof to her face. It is, in fact, glowing. Looking around, she notices that the light around her comes from her. "Okaaaay... Did anypony put the Crystal Heart in my bed when I was sleeping, or is this something else?" she asks out loud, not really expecting an answer.

He walks over to the fireplace with a small grin on his face, utters a word to light it up once more, stands a small glass vial upright next to it and secures it in place with his packs, before turning into a small golden-black frog and hops in the vial, aiming to sweat small amounts of toxin into the vial before hopping out. Then he stoppers this, too, before carefully putting it into his herbalism kit alongside the other toxins he's collected, before turning into yet another venomous snake and milking himself for venom in a sixth vial.

"Mmm, Jasmine... your friends are up..." says a deep voice from Ace's bed, far lower in octave than how the colt sounds. Sitting up from under the blankets is the inn's cook, a chubby but clean-looking stallion of brown coat and black mane. He is stunned to see Beryl glowing, and saddened that this 'Jasmine' isn't in the bed with him.

And then seeing a snake milk its own venom pretty much sets him off. "WHAT THE?! YoU aLL- WitH THe- aND GaTOr- Ahh!!"

He falls off the bed with a loud thud against the floorboards. The stallion scrambles up on his hooves and races to the door, bumping into beds and chairs on the way out. "That's okay sorry to bother you all excuse me!" *SLAM*

Ace is not inside the longhouse.



"Cherub, I want to try something out. Mind helping me, buddy?" He sits Cherub in the centre of the circle and begins quietly chanting a few magic words.

Beginning the spell to make Cherub my familiar.

Squeak? Frost's incantations seem to have an affect on Cherub. The little fire burns the necessary ingredients well and there is a soft glow around the (slightly confused) mouse.

[McNum]

"Mmm, Jasmine... your friends are up..." says a deep voice from Ace's bed, far lower in octave than how the colt sounds. Sitting up from under the blankets is the inn's cook, a chubby but clean-looking stallion of brown coat and black mane. He is stunned to see Beryl glowing, and saddened that this 'Jasmine' isn't in the bed with him.

And then seeing a snake milk its own venom pretty much sets him off. "WHAT THE?! YoU aLL- WitH THe- aND GaTOr- Ahh!!"

He falls off the bed with a loud thud against the floorboards. The stallion scrambles up on his hooves and races to the door, bumping into beds and chairs on the way out. "That's okay sorry to bother you all excuse me!" *SLAM*

Ace is not inside the longhouse.
"Spirit! You broke the cook! Don't do that." Beryl thinks she perhaps is a little too desensitized to Spirit's... Spiritness already. "I'll go talk to him. Just... continue whatever you're doing."

Beryl sighs a bit. So it's going to be one of those days... She swears she can almost hear a little foal laughing inside her mind. Definitely one of those days.

She heads outside and tries to find the cook, hoping he hasn't just taken off in a panic. She walks up to him and asks "Hey, you okay there? You'll have to excuse the snake-thing. That's Spirit, our Shaman. He... has no sense of when it's right to turn into creepy things. Like a giant spider in the middle of town, or a snake before breakfast..."

[Fable Wright]

Frost wakes up, groggy as always. "...what does that even mean?"

Spirit stretches while thinking of a good way to respond without taking an afternoon. After a while, he's settled on something. "Once upon a time, when the world was first formed, the world was much different. Every bit of land that wasn't covered in boiling oceans was covered in volcanoes. Only a few things could live in this land, but all of them were filled with such overwhelming power they could force the land into their way. Those that could survive were known as the Eight Primordial Beings, and how each of them survived turn into a school of magic on its own."

Packing up his healing kit, he continues. "Over time, that power wore away. Volcanoes were ground to sand, the seas cooled, and weaker life could exist. Today, there are very few volcanoes, but we can see where they were. For example, a lake that forms in the mouth of an old volcano; this is a tarn. Once in a blue moon, the dead volcano comes back to life, and the water in the lake turns boiling. This heat changes the rock around it; weak sediments like sand fuse together and grow into stronger rock. This is metamorphism. We are as the sediments on the volcano bed; weak, but fusing to grow stronger. Two days ago, I could not change form as recklessly as I can now. Now I know that I can work miracles that other Druids never will. They may be weak, but throwing ourselves into this Brotherhood/Valiance mess will make us stronger and stronger." He smiles happily. "In two days, we have changed so much. Imagine what could happen in a month. Can't you think of new, small miracles you couldn't do before?" He walks out to follow Beryl and the cook. He didn't always have breakfast, but he was certainly in the mood today. Plus, he wanted to see how his patients were doing, especially relative to Midnight. Druidic methods need empirical validation, too!

[DigoDragon]

She heads outside and tries to find the cook, hoping he hasn't just taken off in a panic. She walks up to him and asks "Hey, you okay there? You'll have to excuse the snake-thing. That's Spirit, our Shaman. He... has no sense of when it's right to turn into creepy things. Like a giant spider in the middle of town, or a snake before breakfast..."

"No no, it's okay! I shouldn't have snuck in. I uh, should get back to the kitchen. Thanks for helping the town. ...Say hi to Jasmine for me." The cook continues at his brisk pace back to the inn. He definitely seems embarrassed.

Beryl can see that the tavern section of the inn is decently busy this morning. The dead bodies are gone, but there are lots of living ponies out and about that seem to have a bit more color back on their faces.


He walks out to follow Beryl and the cook. He didn't always have breakfast, but he was certainly in the mood today. Plus, he wanted to see how his patients were doing, especially relative to Midnight. Druidic methods need empirical validation, too!

The gator stays in the longhouse where the warm fire still has some heat left to it. Outside, the village appears to be slowly getting back into the state of normalcy. Spirit can see the cook trotting briskly to the busy inn.

[McNum]

Beryl, still glowing her golden-pink glow, waves to Spirit and runs up to him.

"Hey, guess what? You were right! I met them! The Palad!" she says with a smile. "I think that's why I'm glowing so much. I'll give you the long version when we're all awake and together. But I wanted to tell you first!"

Beryl looks kind of excited, and it almost looks like the glow got a little more intense as she smiled.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit looks confused for a moment. "It's been there your whole life and you've been speaking with it every time you tried to use magic. And it's only now that you..." Then it dawns on him. "Oh! You saw them for the first time. Good for you! Better circumstances than the ones I first met Vera in, at least." He shudders. "Presumably someone down the line had to bleed out in the bushes by a setting sun, but it's good to know they can still work the magic for you." Then he notices the fact that Beryl's still glowing, and whispers a few words of nature that the spirits inside her would understand.

[OOC: Using Druidcraft to try and damp down the light Beryl's causing, by telling the spirit(s) inside her that 'there may be enemies in this town; discretion in your glowing is advised.']

That done, he trots off to follow up on a representative sample of the patients he managed to treat earlier, of those that were left untreated, and of those whose treatment he left to Midnight. How much had each of them recovered? Was the Goodberry poultice any more useful than basic battlefield first aid? Were either of them more useful than a night's rest in the first place? And more importantly, would he be done checking around the same time that fresh muffins came out of the oven?

[McNum]

"Wait, he just talked to me?! Says to turn down the glow. Tell him it'll fade out before noon, can't do much about it." said a suprsied voice inside Beryl's mind.

Confused and a little amused, Beryl passes on the message. "Um... did you just tell them to glow less? I'm a Crystal Pony, glows like this fade out on their own after a few hours, but I can go put on a cloak."

Beryl heads back to the longhouse to get dressed, and perhaps shed some light, pun very much intended, on this whole "Jasmine" thing.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Squeak? Frost's incantations seem to have an affect on Cherub. The little fire burns the necessary ingredients well and there is a soft glow around the (slightly confused) mouse.
Tell me, how are you feeling? asks Frost. Cherub may well note that the pony didn't need to open his mouth to speak this time.


Spirit stretches while thinking of a good way to respond without taking an afternoon. After a while, he's settled on something. "Once upon a time, when the world was first formed, the world was much different. Every bit of land that wasn't covered in boiling oceans was covered in volcanoes. Only a few things could live in this land, but all of them were filled with such overwhelming power they could force the land into their way. Those that could survive were known as the Eight Primordial Beings, and how each of them survived turn into a school of magic on its own."
"...What's a volcano?"


"In two days, we have changed so much. Imagine what could happen in a month. Can't you think of new, small miracles you couldn't do before?"
Frost looks down at the scruffy home-made spell book at his hooves. "Yes. I think I can."

[Fable Wright]

"...What's a volcano?"

Before Spirit made it through the door on his way to the patients, he paused at Frostbite's question, and a tremendous grin split his face. "Oh, you're in for a treat. In a little while, I will build one and show it to you in action!" He trots out the door, a bigger spring in his stride than before.


Confused and a little amused, Beryl passes on the message. "Um... did you just tell them to glow less? I'm a Crystal Pony, glows like this fade out on their own after a few hours, but I can go put on a cloak."

Spirit nods. "Yes. Yes I did. I just wanted to make sure this wasn't a permanent thing; you don't need to put one on if you don't need to." Then he goes back to checking up on his representative sample.

[Jurai]

Crossguard yawns awake. "Morning, everypony." She stands up and canters off to the tavern for some coffee.

[DigoDragon]

That done, he trots off to follow up on a representative sample of the patients he managed to treat earlier, of those that were left untreated, and of those whose treatment he left to Midnight.

After several minutes of interviews and checking up on patients, Spirit sees that the ones who recovered fastest were ones that were of young adult age in good health (20~35 years old), ones that were treated with healing magic (spells, goodberries, etc.) and ones that got full bed rest with little to no activity interrupting it.



Tell me, how are you feeling? asks Frost. Cherub may well note that the pony didn't need to open his mouth to speak this time.

"Well, kind of warm, and a bit hungry," Cherub replies mentally.

Wasn't sure if you want me to RP Cherub. Feel free to drive the conversation.



Beryl heads back to the longhouse to get dressed, and perhaps shed some light, pun very much intended, on this whole "Jasmine" thing.

Well, this village couldn't have more than around 200 or so residents, so finding a Jasmine couldn't be too hard, could it? How will Beryl go about this investigation?



Crossguard yawns awake. "Morning, everypony." She stands up and canters off to the tavern for some coffee.

Crossguard can hear music coming from the tavern part of the inn as she gets to the entrance. Inside, there is a group of farmers with simple instruments, some makeshift like washboards and pots, playing a light-hearted little tune (https://youtu.be/kbp9WXQjZy8?t=18s) as the crowd claps along. Ace is with the band, singing some goofy-sounding lyrics to the music played. He sees Crossguard in the middle of his song and slowly moves toward her.

"I'm not a great big force
I'm just a little horse
But I can fight
With magic might
As tough as any Norse

My buddy's Crossguard P.
A paladin you see
But when I'm done
She'll be all fun
With laughter just like me
Me, we, thee, see, gee..."

Ace stomps a hoof and sparks pop up into the air for just a fraction of a moment. The audience claps and raises mugs to Ace. The colt in turn bows and turns to Crossguard. "Good morning! Care for a song and dance number, or are you just here for the coffee?"

[McNum]

Well, this village couldn't have more than around 200 or so residents, so finding a Jasmine couldn't be too hard, could it? How will Beryl go about this investigation
First of all, Beryl heads back to the Longhouse, to try the simple approach. Are there any more ponies we don't know in there, and is one of them named Jasmine?

If there isn't, then Beryl will also get get breakfast and ask around there. Who knows if Jasmine is even a pony?

[Fable Wright]

Spirit sighs dejectedly, opens up his herbalism kit, and scrawls on the parchment tied to the inner cover 'Not for use treating nonphysical injuries.' He never quite sure why he went through 15 years of training with the kit, but now he was certain that it was time well wasted. Vaguely nostalgic, he looks back through the previous logs at the kinds of things he tried. 'Not for treating physical injuries.' 'Subject developed new addiction instead of kicking old.' 'Badger sedative had opposite effect. As did coagulant.' 'Subject enjoyed hot leaf juice. Brewer did not.' 'Plant stalk was full of paralyzed wasps. Paralysis wore off during transit. TODO: Find out how a reed can hold that many wasps.' He shakes his head and closes the lid again. One day, he'll find a use. Eventually. Maybe. Hopefully.

That done, his request for aid in intelligence gathering completely ignored, breakfast delayed as Frostbite summoned a familiar and Beryl wanders off looking for a Jane Doe, and his good mood from earlier dampened, he settles in and begins incanting the new ritual that had crystallized in his mind, chatting pleasantly with the Great Spirit of Giant Spiders for a good ten minutes or so before finding out if any within around 5 miles, and where they were if so. Should none turn up, he'd inquire to the Great Spirit of Steeders, asking about any nearby females. Should that too fail, Spirit will sigh and accept that the forest between a marsh and a mountain is, despite all logic, a terrible place to find giant spiders.

If it doesn't fail, however, he'll trot into giant spider country alone, whispering a prayer to Vera to grant him the power to speak with whatever spider he comes across. Maybe ask the smaller ones for directions along the way.

[Jurai]

After several minutes of interviews and checking up on patients, Spirit sees that the ones who recovered fastest were ones that were of young adult age in good health (20~35 years old), ones that were treated with healing magic (spells, goodberries, etc.) and ones that got full bed rest with little to no activity interrupting it.




"Well, kind of warm, and a bit hungry," Cherub replies mentally.

Wasn't sure if you want me to RP Cherub. Feel free to drive the conversation.




Well, this village couldn't have more than around 200 or so residents, so finding a Jasmine couldn't be too hard, could it? How will Beryl go about this investigation?




Crossguard can hear music coming from the tavern part of the inn as she gets to the entrance. Inside, there is a group of farmers with simple instruments, some makeshift like washboards and pots, playing a light-hearted little tune (https://youtu.be/kbp9WXQjZy8?t=18s) as the crowd claps along. Ace is with the band, singing some goofy-sounding lyrics to the music played. He sees Crossguard in the middle of his song and slowly moves toward her.

"I'm not a great big force
I'm just a little horse
But I can fight
With magic might
As tough as any Norse

My buddy's Crossguard P.
A paladin you see
But when I'm done
She'll be all fun
With laughter just like me
Me, we, thee, see, gee..."

Ace stomps a hoof and sparks pop up into the air for just a fraction of a moment. The audience claps and raises mugs to Ace. The colt in turn bows and turns to Crossguard. "Good morning! Care for a song and dance number, or are you just here for the coffee?"

She smiles. "An impressive number, young minstrel. Perhaps you and Beryl could start a band after our mission is finished." Crossguard says as she heads to the bar. "But yes, I'm here for the coffee."

[DigoDragon]

First of all, Beryl heads back to the Longhouse, to try the simple approach. Are there any more ponies we don't know in there, and is one of them named Jasmine?

If there isn't, then Beryl will also get get breakfast and ask around there. Who knows if Jasmine is even a pony?
[roll0]
There are no other ponies in the long house that shouldn't be there. In fact, it is the other way around-- Ace and Trace were the only two not accounted for this morning when everyone awoke.

However, Beryl will catch the last three notes of Ace's son-n-dance number at the inn. So at least he's alive and well. There is a crowd here and asking around will yield good information (as everyone seems to know everyone in Koldstone). There is a Jasmine, and she happens to be the eldest daughter of farmer Vine. Directions are given (go up to the C-shaped tree and turn left until you reach the blue outhouse, then right to the rock shaped like Mulberry's head...).



he settles in and begins incanting the new ritual that had crystallized in his mind, chatting pleasantly with the Great Spirit of Giant Spiders for a good ten minutes or so before finding out if any within around 5 miles, and where they were if so. Should none turn up, he'd inquire to the Great Spirit of Steeders, asking about any nearby females. Should that too fail, Spirit will sigh and accept that the forest between a marsh and a mountain is, despite all logic, a terrible place to find giant spiders.
[roll1]
There is success-- the spell locates a giant spider to the northwest about 2 miles. Looking in that direction from town it seems to be an unkempt tree orchard not used in some time. The trees have turned autumn colors and there are plenty of insects feasting over the unpicked rotting apples and pears on the ground.



She smiles. "An impressive number, young minstrel. Perhaps you and Beryl could start a band after our mission is finished." Crossguard says as she heads to the bar. "But yes, I'm here for the coffee."

Ace nods and lets Crossguard get her drink. The server at the bar slides over a fresh tin cup of coffee. Meanwhile Ace taps a disappointed hoof once on the ground before paying up coin to the band leader on their bet.

[Fable Wright]

There is success-- the spell locates a giant spider to the northwest about 2 miles. Looking in that direction from town it seems to be an unkempt tree orchard not used in some time. The trees have turned autumn colors and there are plenty of insects feasting over the unpicked rotting apples and pears on the ground.

Spirit strides confidently into the orchard, and announces himself as the ritual to speak with the inhabitants finishes. "Lord of Spiders! The time of cold grows close. I seek to treaty with you! For your protection in my travels, I can offer you food to last you through your winter months, and offer you shelter from the cold. All I ask in return is that you travel with me, albeit far from your permanent web, and follow a few simple guidelines that I may secure your shelter with. If I've your interest, let your presence be known! If not, I shall leave you to your hollow." He waits for a response.

[McNum]

There are no other ponies in the long house that shouldn't be there. In fact, it is the other way around-- Ace and Trace were the only two not accounted for this morning when everyone awoke.

However, Beryl will catch the last three notes of Ace's son-n-dance number at the inn. So at least he's alive and well. There is a crowd here and asking around will yield good information (as everyone seems to know everyone in Koldstone). There is a Jasmine, and she happens to be the eldest daughter of farmer Vine. Directions are given (go up to the C-shaped tree and turn left until you reach the blue outhouse, then right to the rock shaped like Mulberry's head...).
Beryl wonder for a moment... there one thing she totally forgot to ask. Is there any reason the chef wanted Beryl to talk to Jasmine? And is it urgent enough that it can't wait until after breakfast? Because if it's the chef having a crush on her, while cute, it's not urgent. At least not compared to life draining curses, breakfast and things like that.

Beryl can check up on it after breakfast unless it's a life or death thing.

Ace nods and lets Crossguard get her drink. The server at the bar slides over a fresh tin cup of coffee. Meanwhile Ace taps a disappointed hoof once on the ground before paying up coin to the band leader on their bet.
Beryl orders a coffee, too, plus a portion of what seems like the most popular breakfast thing here, and joins Crossguard at her table. "Morning Cross." she starts while trying to keep a straight face, despite glowing like a small pony-shaped sun. She then remembers a very similar situation a few days ago "Apparently, I've been given glow in the dark powers."

[Beacon of Chaos]

"Well, kind of warm, and a bit hungry," Cherub replies mentally.
Frost positively beams at this answer. "I heard that!" he says out loud. "I understood it! The spell works! I got the idea from a mix of Spirit's animal talking spells mixed with some of the enchantment stuff I saw in Ace's book, plus a little bit of, shall we say, sorcerer's instincts? Something about the spell just... seemed right. I should show Ace, I bet he'd be interested in the rune matrix design..."

He suddenly realises what Cherub had actually said. Or rather, thought. "Oh, sorry, you probably don't want to hear the specifics. Shall we go get breakfast?"


Before Spirit made it through the door on his way to the patients, he paused at Frostbite's question, and a tremendous grin split his face. "Oh, you're in for a treat. In a little while, I will build one and show it to you in action!" He trots out the door, a bigger spring in his stride than before.
"Uh, sure. Sounds good," Frost replies, unsure if he should be excited or nervous.

[DigoDragon]

Spirit strides confidently into the orchard, and announces himself as the ritual to speak with the inhabitants finishes. "Lord of Spiders! The time of cold grows close. I seek to treaty with you! For your protection in my travels, I can offer you food to last you through your winter months, and offer you shelter from the cold. All I ask in return is that you travel with me, albeit far from your permanent web, and follow a few simple guidelines that I may secure your shelter with. If I've your interest, let your presence be known! If not, I shall leave you to your hollow." He waits for a response.

Dozens of little spiders look down from their webs, studying Spirit. Slowly, a large spider comes down from the trees, but remains on her webbing. Her voice sounds unimpressed. "You come with... 'guidelines' but not with an offering? Tsk tsk, half-walker. What is it you seek of my abilities to improve your travels?"



Beryl orders a coffee, too, plus a portion of what seems like the most popular breakfast thing here, and joins Crossguard at her table. "Morning Cross." she starts while trying to keep a straight face, despite glowing like a small pony-shaped sun. She then remembers a very similar situation a few days ago "Apparently, I've been given glow in the dark powers."

"Did you hear that? She has dark powers," a whisper said.

"But she is glowing? Does that mean she's a good evil?"

"Maybe she's part Will-o-Wisp?"

The rumor mill starts to crank up on what Beryl is and why she's glowing like a miniature sun.



He suddenly realises what Cherub had actually said. Or rather, thought. "Oh, sorry, you probably don't want to hear the specifics. Shall we go get breakfast?"

"Yes please!" Cherub answers. The mouse hops up onto Frost's shoulder to tag along. "So, if we can share thoughts, what else does this magical physic matrix do? Magic... wow, my head is suddenly so full of... thoughts!"

[Jurai]

Dozens of little spiders look down from their webs, studying Spirit. Slowly, a large spider comes down from the trees, but remains on her webbing. Her voice sounds unimpressed. "You come with... 'guidelines' but not with an offering? Tsk tsk, half-walker. What is it you seek of my abilities to improve your travels?"




"Did you hear that? She has dark powers," a whisper said.

"But she is glowing? Does that mean she's a good evil?"

"Maybe she's part Will-o-Wisp?"

The rumor mill starts to crank up on what Beryl is and why she's glowing like a miniature sun.




"Yes please!" Cherub answers. The mouse hops up onto Frost's shoulder to tag along. "So, if we can share thoughts, what else does this magical physic matrix do? Magic... wow, my head is suddenly so full of... thoughts!"

Crossguard chuckles. "Interesting. I feel a greater surety in my swordsponyship, as well as some of the fury of the sun itself, as though it is giving me its very light." Crossguard nods. "When we return to Basuto, I'm going to have to make a report to the temple." She finishes her coffee, and gets a refill, as well as a plate of hay and fresh fruit. "So, I can assume you've sworn your oath?"

[McNum]

Crossguard chuckles. "Interesting. I feel a greater surety in my swordsponyship, as well as some of the fury of the sun itself, as though it is giving me its very light." Crossguard nods. "When we return to Basuto, I'm going to have to make a report to the temple." She finishes her coffee, and gets a refill, as well as a plate of hay and fresh fruit. "So, I can assume you've sworn your oath?"
"Yup! Even found out what order I'm part of. Does the name 'Heliodor of the Twelve Peers' mean anything to you? Because apparently that's me. Or was me. Several lives ago." Beryl takes a sip of her much needed coffee. "I think I need to ask a few questions in a few temples myself. Hopefully somepony has head of them."

Beryl notices the chatter about her. "Hold on, I need to say something before things get crazy." Beryl knows, though, that there really is nothing she can say to stop the rumor mill, just... aim it slightly off course. She gets up and addresses the room. "Hey, everypony! Yes, I am shining, I noticed. It's okay, I'm a Crystal Pony, we do that when we're exposed to divine magic, and we needed a lot of that to break the curse on the town yesterday. So I'm shining a lot today. Don't worry, it'll stop in a few hours. It's normal and harmless."

Persuasion: "It's okay, it's harmless and normal, honest!" [roll0]

[Fable Wright]

Dozens of little spiders look down from their webs, studying Spirit. Slowly, a large spider comes down from the trees, but remains on her webbing. Her voice sounds unimpressed. "You come with... 'guidelines' but not with an offering? Tsk tsk, half-walker. What is it you seek of my abilities to improve your travels?"

Spirit smiles, genuinely enjoying himself, and bows to the giant spider. "I seek not to offend with guidelines; I merely wish to let the anchor points of my web be known. And if my offering were only physical, what use would it be to you? As I said, I offer warmth, as well as food. If warmth could be wrapped in webbing and saved for winter, would it be so precious?

"What I offer is to spell your carapace or your webbing during the day, whichever you prefer, so they give off heat as I wake. During the night, I offer the warmth of a controlled fire, and the small or giant moths that are attracted to its flame. And, perchance, whichever pony inventions or livestock you find to catch your eye or your appetite.

"As for why I seek your aid? I've molted from your carapace once before. I know the silence and stealth by which you can walk. I know the strength of even those webs you sling on the fly, and of what knowledge you gain by merely stepping upon a delicately crafted one. I wish to ask you to lend me these skills of yours, as well as your aid in hunting down a few choice morsels that you may wish to consume. The arrangement shall last only as long as you wish it to; I'd not dream of making demands of a Lady."

Just checking to see if Spirit is familiar with the term offhand.
[roll0] Know: History
[roll1] Know: Nature

[Jurai]

[roll0]+4

Crossguard thinks for a bit. "I may have read something of the Twelve Peers..."

[One Tin Soldier]

While the rest of the group goes about eating breakfast, Midnight stays in the longhouse, taking his time getting ready and thinking about the previous day's events. In particular, he realizes that his magic is coming more and more readily to him than it ever did, training back in Dartmoon. Spells that he once thought were outside his ability to cast now didn't seem all that imposing. For a start, he thought he could attempt curing that colt's fever outright, instead of merely alleviating the symptoms.

Once he felt ready, he left the longhouse, going to the tavern to join the others for breakfast. He walked over to Beryl and Crossguard, smiling at the pair.

"Morning! You look particularly radiant today." The joke came out a little more awkwardly than he had expected, and he gave a weak chuckle.

[McNum]

"Ha! I was wondering who'd be the first to say that! Congrats! Morning Midnight!" Beryl smiles and motions Midnight to join them at the table. She then continues "Say, Midnight, does the name 'Heliodor of the Twelve Peers' mean anything to you? Because I had a dream where I was told that, well, I'm Heliodor. Or used to be some lives ago. And that I should go find the Dusk temple in Arendale."

[DigoDragon]

Persuasion: "It's okay, it's harmless and normal, honest!" [16]

This seems to get most of the gossip to die down. Most.
At least, what little is left isn't the part thinking Beryl has any kind of evil powers. So that's a plus.


Just checking to see if Spirit is familiar with the term offhand.
[roll0] Know: History
[roll1] Know: Nature

"Hmm, to have one of the fat milky half-walkers would be... quite enticing," she muses. "And what of the half-walker box nests? They do not appreciate my kind. They fear me, and rightfully so. Do I have protection from them as well?"

"Half-walker" is likely the spider's term for four-legged creatures such as yourself. After all, she's got eight legs.



[20]+4

Crossguard thinks for a bit. "I may have read something of the Twelve Peers..."

Crossguard thinks back to when Spirit mentioned the Palad, and suddenly she remembers a minor passage in one of the older history books about the ancient paladins-- the oldest were known as the Twelve Peers, the first of all paladins. Heliodor was one of the twelve. Druids revered them for their championage of nature and life. And as was mentioned, allegedly they could reincarnate.



"Morning! You look particularly radiant today." The joke came out a little more awkwardly than he had expected, and he gave a weak chuckle.

Food gets slid over to Midnight, regardless if he asked or not, for it seems the inn knows a hero when they see one.

[Fable Wright]

"Hmm, to have one of the fat milky half-walkers would be... quite enticing," she muses. "And what of the half-walker box nests? They do not appreciate my kind. They fear me, and rightfully so. Do I have protection from them as well?"

Spirit nods, raising but not quite leaving his bow, so as to judge whether it's necessary at the moment. "The guidelines that I mentioned were to provide this protection. So long as you stick close to me in areas where we half-walkers congregate, and don't eat any without me giving the okay, I can keep them from acting against you. With some effort, I could perhaps even grant you protection without my presence, though I could not procure you such in this nearby town." He thinks. "We've got four mostly intact half-wakers that you are welcome to, if you'd like. Whether or not you join me. It would be a shame to see them go to waste."

[Beacon of Chaos]

"Yes please!" Cherub answers. The mouse hops up onto Frost's shoulder to tag along. "So, if we can share thoughts, what else does this magical physic matrix do? Magic... wow, my head is suddenly so full of... thoughts!"
Frost heads to the inn where the others are having breakfast.

Well, our minds should be linked in a way that I can look through your eyes and hear through your ears. I'm not sure it works the other way, I'm afraid, but it's a cool trick. If I'm correct, I can also cast spells through you or take you to a safe pocket dimension when we're in dangerous territory. I think that, from now on, we're not just friends, but partners!

"Morning all!" he says out loud. He orders breakfast for Cherub and himself and then sits with the others. He waves to Ace. "Hey! I wanted to thank you for letting check your book yesterday. Something about it really opened my mind to some of the possiblities of arcane magic. I wondered if maybe you'd want to share some notes? I figured out a spell to let me talk with Cherub, my mouse buddy here. I also think I have a spell that can be used to identify different kinds of magic, though I think I need some kind of material focus for it. Maybe you could help?"

[One Tin Soldier]

"Ha! I was wondering who'd be the first to say that! Congrats! Morning Midnight!" Beryl smiles and motions Midnight to join them at the table. She then continues "Say, Midnight, does the name 'Heliodor of the Twelve Peers' mean anything to you? Because I had a dream where I was told that, well, I'm Heliodor. Or used to be some lives ago. And that I should go find the Dusk temple in Arendale."

"Heliodor?" Midnight shakes his head. "Never heard of him. So what, he showed up in your dreams and told you that you're his reincarnation?" He raises his eyebrow skeptically.

[McNum]

"Heliodor?" Midnight shakes his head. "Never heard of him. So what, he showed up in your dreams and told you that you're his reincarnation?" He raises his eyebrow skeptically.
Beryl grins sheepishly. "Honestly, yeah!" Beryl thinks a little more carefully on what to say out loud in here, but continues anyway "Even I know it sounds odd, but I swear it happened. But, heh, I can see how you might want more proof than that."

"That's why I want to visit the temples. Both Sun and Dusk, to ask if they know anything about a 'Heliodor'. The Palad didn't even say if Heliodor was male or female." She pauses for a bit "I don't suppose you could introduce me next time we get to a Dusk Temple? Makes me seem a little less crazy."

"Says the pony with a voice in her head!" an annoying inner voice snarks.

"Actually, where are we going today? I'm thinking back to Basuto to catch a boat to Arendale. That and we need to alert every temple that needs to know about what happened here. Curses that big need to be reported!"

[DigoDragon]

"The guidelines that I mentioned were to provide this protection. So long as you stick close to me in areas where we half-walkers congregate, and don't eat any without me giving the okay, I can keep them from acting against you. With some effort, I could perhaps even grant you protection without my presence, though I could not procure you such in this nearby town." He thinks. "We've got four mostly intact half-wakers that you are welcome to, if you'd like. Whether or not you join me. It would be a shame to see them go to waste."

The giant spider thinks for a moment, pondering the offer. She slowly comes down to the ground. "Very well, I'll see what these intact half-walkers are that you offer me and decide then. Lead on, little one."



Well, our minds should be linked in a way that I can look through your eyes and hear through your ears. I'm not sure it works the other way, I'm afraid, but it's a cool trick. If I'm correct, I can also cast spells through you or take you to a safe pocket dimension when we're in dangerous territory. I think that, from now on, we're not just friends, but partners!

"You can see what I see?" Cherub thinks via psychic link. "Guess that means no freebie snacks under the table?"


He orders breakfast for Cherub and himself and then sits with the others. He waves to Ace. "Hey! I wanted to thank you for letting check your book yesterday. Something about it really opened my mind to some of the possibilities of arcane magic. I wondered if maybe you'd want to share some notes? I figured out a spell to let me talk with Cherub, my mouse buddy here. I also think I have a spell that can be used to identify different kinds of magic, though I think I need some kind of material focus for it. Maybe you could help?"

Cherub scarfs down on the food provided with tiny and adorable 'NOM NOM' sounds.

Ace sits down by Frost and pulls out several pouches of spell components. "Arcane focus you mean? Well, I do have one. Family scroughed up money for it... uh, scroughed? Sounds like scrounged and coughed... anyway!" He pulls out a small dark green crystal on a simple string.

"Arcane Focus. You channel magic through it and it replaces certain needs for material components. Useful, but if you lose it, you're screwed without components. I think I can convince Master Librarian to sell you one at the college."

[Fable Wright]

Spirit nods respectfully, and leads the giant spider back to the pile of bodies outside the Trent mausoleum, constantly muttering the chant to refresh the ritual that allows him to understand his guest. As hectic as the night had been, and with the group not having called much attention to the bodies, they'd likely still be there, well-preserved by the night's chill. If need be, he could always raid the coffins for more; the sarcophagus the party entered and left from was still open, last he checked. He pulls out the one that had been scorched at the front of the tomb as the most palatable of them.

"These have been dead for no more than a sun and a moon, and can be made warm and struggling again if you prefer. You may decide at your leisure; but know that should you travel with me, I can assure you fresher fare."

Spiders have flies wrapped up dead in their web for days or weeks before eating them; I can't imagine her being too picky about them.

[DigoDragon]

Spirit nods respectfully, and leads the giant spider back to the pile of bodies outside the Trent mausoleum, constantly muttering the chant to refresh the ritual that allows him to understand his guest. As hectic as the night had been, and with the group not having called much attention to the bodies, they'd likely still be there, well-preserved by the night's chill. If need be, he could always raid the coffins for more; the sarcophagus the party entered and left from was still open, last he checked.

Welp, if Spirit expected the bodies to be there, he was in for a partial disappointment-- instead of the pile of dead ponies from the barrow, there are two dead cows. The dead ponies are gone! Still, considering the spider mentioned her enjoyment of the "meaty" half-walkers, she began to spin webbing around the two and pull them someplace secluded to prepare a meal.

"Hmm, not bad, half-walker. I usually eat fresher, but these will do. Very well, for now I will join your journey. I will be here dining. You may come call for me when you are ready to depart."

Usually they keep prey a while so the insides liquefy with their venom. Spiders generally work off liquid diets. But hey, it's all good here!

[Fable Wright]

Spirit nods. "My other traveling companions will journey back here with me later today. Until then, I leave you with the most important guidelines. First, try not to be seen far from me, near the pony box-nests. If you are seen when you stray, it will be hard for me to protect you. Second, if you catch their attention, even if you're close to me, change your posture. Move your legs in towards your body, as though making a tent with them to keep snow off, and survey the ground between your legs. This is a stance among half-walkers that indicates nonaggression; do not attack a pony from this posture, or its ability to protect you will be compromised. Third, do not attack a half-walker unless I indicate it's safe to do so. I'll let you know by just pointing if I'm wearing a carapace like yours; if not, I'll do so by spelling your leg hairs; it will feel as though the half-walkers were walking on a web only you can feel. If we're engaged in a combat with something, though, please do sling webs to tangle our targets, or bite them if you believe them to be tasty. Finally, when possible, being unseen will be a boon to you, good Lady of Spiders. Feel free to think these over, and leave if you feel they are too onerous. If they are not, I will be happy to see you later today, good Lady."

Then he heads over to the inn, eager to get some rest. It was rather tense, not having a wildshape available if things turned for the worst; purifying his system of weakness over a good meal sounded wonderful right now. Following Beryl's glow, it was rather easy to track the party, and he wanders in shortly after Frostbite. "So! Two bits of strange news today. The first is that the bodies outside the tomb have been replaced by two dead cows. Not sure how or why that happened, but we might find clues in that journal we found on one of the dead ponies or the Brotherhood campsite. The second is that a giant spider will be joining us in lieu of our slightly abused gator friend. Ace, be wary around her. She's far smarter than the crocodile, and far less trustworthy. Still, she should be great for non-lethal takedowns, far more able to get around than the poor crocodile, and generally more useful to our group.

"Now, onto business. As I mentioned, the journal could provide clues to what's happened. Aside from this, I believe we could gain much from trying to learn how the Brotherhood will perform their next operation. I can trick some Brotherhood agents into some meetings; I can meet with the zebra mare that reported on Trace earlier, and I believe I can sucker a vampire spawn into a meeting with a 'benefactor'. We could turn this into an ambush, or perhaps play along with the role and get the spawn to give us a goal, or a test of some kind that plays along with their plans. We'd be in on the ground floor before the Brotherhood made their first move; it could be a useful opportunity.

"We'll arrive in Basuto no sooner than nightfall, and the earliest we could catch a ship is morning. I don't see a downside to gathering a bit of info this way. However, I propose we seek aid from Azurah in Nabru before heading to Arendale. The Master Librarian said that she would be a useful asset, and she has some form of skill in 'voodoo' magic that can affect one through the blood. Such a thing could be invaluable when dealing with vampire spawn, don't you think? Capture one spawn, and send up a spell that affects their progenitor, or their whole bloodline? I see no reason to rush to Arendale at the moment when doing so cuts off such a potentially useful ally. We could ask a captain to give us a ride to Nabru and then Arendale; it would add less than a day to our journey, yet it could secure a game-changing ally against the Brotherhood.

"What do you all think?"

[McNum]

"Well for one, I think you just said many things that you shouldn't have said out loud in a crowd." Beryl remarks while eating her breakfast. "Naming the baddies by name and saying you want to spy on them... Not saying that's a bad idea, but be more subtle next time. Only takes one bee to alert the hive." Beryl wonders for a second where she got that expression from... A silly sounding buzz then flies through her mind, answering that. "There's been one in... every tavern we've visited so far."

"I think the most important thing we need to do is warn every temple that cares about what just happened here. Starting with the Sun and Dusk temples. And I think we might need to hurry, even if that means traveling faster than comfortable. Unless we have a way to send a message faster than on hoof, we need to tell them the full story before the rumors reach them. And rumors travel fast!" She looks like there's something else that's important. "Oh, and Frost's parents. We... probably can't catch up in a straight chase, but knowing which way they went would be great. That journal might have clues, too."

[Beacon of Chaos]

"You can see what I see?" Cherub thinks via psychic link. "Guess that means no freebie snacks under the table?"
Hehe, well I'll only ever do it with your permission, and you'll know when it happens. You'll still get your privacy. That said, try to go easy on the snacks, it's not good for you.


Ace sits down by Frost and pulls out several pouches of spell components. "Arcane focus you mean? Well, I do have one. Family scroughed up money for it... uh, scroughed? Sounds like scrounged and coughed... anyway!" He pulls out a small dark green crystal on a simple string.

"Arcane Focus. You channel magic through it and it replaces certain needs for material components. Useful, but if you lose it, you're screwed without components. I think I can convince Master Librarian to sell you one at the college."
"Well, no, I have one of those." Frost shows Ace the small crystal orb he has hanging from his necklace. "This spell seems to need something more. Something I'm missing."

Frost is specifically refering to the pearl needed for the Identify spell.

Gosh. If only we had some kind of magical pearl somewhere that a kindly soul could point Frost to. :smallwink:


The second is that a giant spider will be joining us in lieu of our slightly abused gator friend. Ace, be wary around her. She's far smarter than the crocodile, and far less trustworthy. Still, she should be great for non-lethal takedowns, far more able to get around than the poor crocodile, and generally more useful to our group.
"Oh good. Another creature that would happily eat us if it could, only it's less trustworthy. How nice. If it comes after me I won't hesitate to kill it, you know."


"Oh, and Frost's parents. We... probably can't catch up in a straight chase, but knowing which way they went would be great. That journal might have clues, too."
"..." Frost passes the journal to Spirit.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit shrugs. "I did try bringing this up in the Longhouse. No one listened. And if they are listening in..." he mutters a small chant under his breath. "That would save us quite a bit of time. Regardless, I do not see why one should hide the truth, nor why you trust the temples to keep tighter lips than this town that the Brotherhood already drained dry." He shrugs. "I can send messages to temples, but, well, they're limited to 25 words apiece, temples are big, and I might get the ear of the wrong person. I could still call in clerics to help with the healing, though." He shrugs again.

[roll0]+[roll1] Looking for someone paying unusual attention, or might have reacted to Spirit's words here.

EDIT:

"..." Frost passes the journal to Spirit.

Spirit cracks open the journal and takes a look. What does he find?

[One Tin Soldier]

"That's why I want to visit the temples. Both Sun and Dusk, to ask if they know anything about a 'Heliodor'. The Palad didn't even say if Heliodor was male or female." She pauses for a bit "I don't suppose you could introduce me next time we get to a Dusk Temple? Makes me seem a little less crazy."

"Yeah, I can introduce you. I can't promise that you'll sound any less crazy, though." Midnight digs into his food while Spirit walks in and they discuss their next course of action.


"Did you guys get a message from the Librarian or something?" he asks, feeling a little bit out of the loop. "I don't remember her saying anything about someone in Nabru."

[Fable Wright]

Spirit blinks. "Back when we were interrogating the spawn, after it was incinerated, the Master Librarian mentioned Azurah in Nabru as someone who would be able to help us. The Master Librarian was unsure how, but she knew that Azurah could help. I later found that it's because they were adventuring companions that brought down Valiance in the middle of his lichdom ritual, and that Azurah has knowledge that even a powerful divination expert couldn't replicate. She's also a formidable hunter that could likely aid us if we discover something bigger than we can handle." He turns back to the book, trying to puzzle out the Brotherhood's intentions.

[Jurai]

Once Crossguard finishes her breakfast, she stretches. "Whilst, normally, I would agree with Beryl, I'm sick of their deceit and lack of honor."

[One Tin Soldier]

Spirit blinks. "Back when we were interrogating the spawn, after it was incinerated, the Master Librarian mentioned Azurah in Nabru as someone who would be able to help us. The Master Librarian was unsure how, but she knew that Azurah could help. I later found that it's because they were adventuring companions that brought down Valiance in the middle of his lichdom ritual, and that Azurah has knowledge that even a powerful divination expert couldn't replicate. She's also a formidable hunter that could likely aid us if we discover something bigger than we can handle." He turns back to the book, trying to puzzle out the Brotherhood's intentions.

"Oh," Midnight says, feeling a little dense. "Right. Must have forgotten that with everything else that was going on."


Once Crossguard finishes her breakfast, she stretches. "Whilst, normally, I would agree with Beryl, I'm sick of their deceit and lack of honor."

Midnight nods in agreement. "Besides, if they have any spies here, I think showing up and saving the town would be a pretty big tip-off. Though I think we can trust everypony here. The Brotherhood did try to kill all of them."

[McNum]

Beryl is looking a little confused. "Then what do we do? Unless the journal says there's a hideout nearby, we can't exact take the fight to the..." Beryl considers nicknames for a moment, then realizes she already gave them one "...the Bees." She pauses just to let that word hang for a moment, then continues "We should send that 25 word message to somepony in Basuto we trust to send help here, though. How about sending 'Koldstone hit by big evil curse, many ponies dead or weakened. Curse broken already, but need help with recovery, support. Koldstone Barrows used for curse.' or something like that?" Beryl counts with her tongue on the back of her teeth. "Yeah that should actually be twenty-five words."

[Fable Wright]

Spirit looks at Beryl. "...Why can't we? I can lure out a vampire spawn. We know the zebra mare at least has a contact with the Brotherhood, and, though I'm loathe to use it, we have something that could help get her to share." He gingerly pulls the love potion out of his bag for a moment, before putting it back in. "We can dig around about that recruiter for the sailors who were burning a ship, I can track down that star spider that was in their base and ask for some directions or info... let's face it. In Basuto, there are plenty of ways we could bring the fight to the Brotherhood. That said, I'll send a message. 'Big curse blew over Koldstone from Barrows. Many weakened and ill. Worst over, but help appreciated.' Gives you nine more words to work with, if you need them."

[McNum]

"We need to mention that some ponies died, too." Beryl says and sighs. "But I was thinking more, what do we do when we get up from this table? We send a message and... look at their campsite? Are you finding anything useful in that journal?"

[Fable Wright]

"Patience, Beryl. This is not the easiest book to parse." He furrows his brow as he doubles back over the text. "When we get up, we will collect our gator, join with our new arachnid friend, investigate their campsite, and then head to Basuto while I send messages. When we arrive, the messages will have done their job, and we can spring into an investigation from the moment we enter the gates. We can do little else from here."

[DigoDragon]

"What do you all think?"

When Spirit mentions losing the gator, Ace seems a bit more cheerful. When he mentions the giant spider joining, Ace seems to have lost a couple shades of color from his face. He slowly puts his head down.

"Trace is already gone, by the way," Ace says with defeat. "Went to... somewhere. Dunno."



"Well, no, I have one of those." Frost shows Ace the small crystal orb he has hanging from his necklace. "This spell seems to need something more. Something I'm missing."
[roll0]
Ace thinks for a moment, then he taps the table. "Ah, I believe what you are missing is... what do you call them... a pearl. Your spell identifies magic right?"

He pulls out a spell book and flips through some pages until he reaches one in particular. "I haven't mastered that spell yet, but I have notes here. Right, a valuable pearl, as the mother of pearl acts as a conduit to transfer... uh, essence, scent... signature of the magical effects to you so you can mentally 'read' what they are."



[roll0]+[roll1] Looking for someone paying unusual attention, or might have reacted to Spirit's words here.

EDIT:
Spirit cracks open the journal and takes a look. What does he find?

There are folks watching your group, but only in the casual way because you all are talking about really shady subjects, like spiders and the Brotherhood.


Meanwhile, inside the journal, again there is much in the way of pony anatomy and magical elements. Sometimes talking about how much 'raw' material a pony is made of or how to put bodies together again for necromancy purposes. But in all that you do find this gem near the back--


Hoof: We pinged it south of Nabru, in the Noruge swamp... but then it disappeared. With our scouts. What is out there?
Wing: Magic keeps pointing to Arendale, but hell if we can find it. Maybe one of the temples has a divination barrier? Penny, you $#@$%...
Rib: Koldstone, sealed by Snowsquall. Check the family barrow. Expect a good bit of draconic ice magic. Possible a dragon blood-lock. Found!.
Horn: Illia must have hidden this one. It's in Midoor somewhere. Check the libraries and the mage guild. Likely in those places.
Eyeball: Diviner can only get an answer of 'in the oldest mountains of Fetloch'. Bet the diviner didn't see that punch coming.
Heart: Nothing. Journals pointed to Basuto, but we didn't find it there. Got a contact in Gog City that might help though.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit chuckles as he begins reading the last couple of entries, then laughs out loud when he reaches the end. "Oh! Oh, that's rich. Looks like Azurah is a feisty one. She caught wind of the Brotherhood in her neighborhood and it goes to a total blackout! Ha! We beat out the Brotherhood and bring her the artifacts, and they'll be locked down for good." A silly grin on his face, he shakes his head. "We got five sites the Brotherhood is looking into. One is locked down by Azurah. One is in Arendale. Two the brotherhood can't pin down, and the last is in Midoor, along with another one of the Master Librarian's adventuring friends." He grins himself silly. "Oh, man! They were not kidding around when they took down Valiance. Master Librarian, you did so much more than I gave you credit for."

He sighs happily and leans back in his chair. "Good news, Frostbite. They don't need your parents for any more locks, so they'll be under light guard. We can track them down and bring them home safe, easily. We gotta dig for a bit of information in Basuto; they're going to store their loot someplace safe, and they're going to want anyone they can get their hooves on to poke around for the artifacts in Arendale. Probably using the festival as cover to launch a search of the temples there. We will need some more information, and meeting with some of their men in Basuto tonight will be rather crucial.

"Good news is, we know know their goals, and that they're in deep, deep trouble. We got a safe place to take contraband. Just a few more days, and we'll get your parents home. Looks like we just scored a big win." He chuckles and shakes his head. "We also got their single point of failure. A diviner that seems to keep their whole operation rolling. Looks like she's pretty powerful; she's casting a straight up Divination. But she's still one mare, and without her, the Brotherhood is floundering." He looks at Beryl, grinning. "So, Heliodor. What do we do after we get up from this table?"

[McNum]

"I don't know what Heliodor whould do, but as a baker, I certainly do! If they're baking a Doom Pie, but need a special ingredient, we deny them that! No ingredient, no pie, no doom. Lots of angry Bees, though."

Beryl then tries to sum everything up. "So... we send for help, then get ready to hit the road for Basuto. I can bake lunch if we need, got plenty of flour left. When we get there, we look for clues. And tell the Master Librarian that she's awesome." She then hesitates, "But, um, if this Azurah has gone on total blackout, how do we find her?"

[Fable Wright]

Spirit, bemused, repeats his question to the spirit within Beryl via Druidcraft, before excusing himself with "Azurah isn't missing; the assassins who entered her territory, are. Now, I leave you to work out any outstanding business; I'll be sending messages." and following a mosquito on the wall, not harming it, but muttering the words that would make it deliver a message. The recipient was simple: The first pony the mosquito met in Basuto who didn't breathe, even when their mouth made wind; the message, "I know what and where you are. I could call the Paladins, but I want in. Meet my servant by the Rusty Anchor at 10." Then, if the party still wasn't done, he'd send another message to the Paladins of the Temple of the Sun, this time with a ladybug as his messenger: "Big curse blew over Koldstone from Barrows. Many dead, others weakened and ill. Worst over, but help appreciated. Spread word to other temples."

Then, one final message, addressed to the first zebra mare this butterfly came across in Basuto: "A wandering spirit seeks to learn the ways of your town. He has heard of the Sleepy Salamander, and hopes you could meet him there." Should the party still not be done deliberating, he will merely watch the insects make a beeline for the small port town as he waits.

[McNum]

"He did it again! ...uh. Heliodor would... politely thank everypony for the meal, pay what's owed, get dressed and get to work? I don't know, I just got here!"

"...you need to tell me how you do that soon. But she says that Heliodor would pay up and get to work." Beryl then realizes that the rest of the party probably doesn't know who "she" is. "I'll explain when we're on the road, okay? You'll either think of me as more or less crazy after I tell you."

[Jurai]

"He did it again! ...uh. Heliodor would... politely thank everypony for the meal, pay what's owed, get dressed and get to work? I don't know, I just got here!"

"...you need to tell me how you do that soon. But she says that Heliodor would pay up and get to work." Beryl then realizes that the rest of the party probably doesn't know who "she" is. "I'll explain when we're on the road, okay? You'll either think of me as more or less crazy after I tell you."

Crossguard nods. "We need to get moving." She pays for her food and drink.

[One Tin Soldier]

"He did it again! ...uh. Heliodor would... politely thank everypony for the meal, pay what's owed, get dressed and get to work? I don't know, I just got here!"

"...you need to tell me how you do that soon. But she says that Heliodor would pay up and get to work." Beryl then realizes that the rest of the party probably doesn't know who "she" is. "I'll explain when we're on the road, okay? You'll either think of me as more or less crazy after I tell you."

"I guess we'll just have to see," Midnight says, getting up from the table.

"So... You didn't actually say what it they're after, just that they don't have all of it yet. What do they want?"

[DigoDragon]

getting up from the table.

"We need to get moving."

"I'll explain when we're on the road, okay?"

as he waits.

September 26, 9:30 am (Monday)

After last night's storms, this day fares much better. The sky was only lightly cloudy, allowing the sun to warm up the ground. Only little bits of cold dew remained scattered along the grasses. The gator companion has apparently already departed to swampy parts unknown, leaving no note goodbye (well, obviously). It was Trace's departure that is a bit more concerning. What was the surprise batpony up to? Ace mentions he would catch up, as the party is apparently not a difficult group to find (in Trace's words exactly).

After the party packs to leave for Basuto, it was then that they meet Spirit's newest addition to the party-- the giant spider.

The creature was the size of a wagon and could carry 1-2 of you without too much difficulty. However, she (according to Spirit, the spider refers to self as 'she') is already carrying one large cocoon with her (contents: one dead cow) and did not seem proactive to giving anypony a lift. She sizes you all up with her many eyes, scanning the group as if... well Spirit could ascertain that she is gauging who were the alphas in the group (i.e. who led the group and who followed).

Despite Ace's fear of being eaten, the giant spider didn't seem to pay him much mind. She was more on guard against the two paladins. The giant spider will follow the group towards Basuto, but she keeps to the back, following with a respectful distance.

[Fable Wright]

"So!" Spirit trots along, still in a good mood from a good morning. "We need one volunteer to meet with a vampony spawn at, oh, around 10 o'clock outside the Rusty Anchor. This pony would be disguised as someone else, and should try to convince the spawn that they're working with a mysterious boss figure that wants Valiance to come back. Valiance would pay out well as a lich, and the Brotherhood's resources aren't anything to scoff at themselves. I'm not certain how the spawn will react, but there's a good chance it will ask a favor to prove our devotion to the cause.

"The nature of that favor is the info we need; it tells us what matters to the Brotherhood right now, and might act as an in to get more extensive information later on. We almost certainly won't perform the favor, of course." He looks at Frostbite as he walks. "And whoever goes would probably be able to make a demand in return. Such as learning where Snowsquall's family (that is, Frostbite's parents) is being kept." He looks at the group. "Any volunteers to meet with them? I will probably be indisposed, dealing with the Brotherhood zebra at the inn, and Crossguard would almost certainly attack the spawn on sight rather than even pretend to deal with it. Anyone else interested in gathering some information?"

[Beacon of Chaos]

"The nature of that favor is the info we need; it tells us what matters to the Brotherhood right now, and might act as an in to get more extensive information later on. We almost certainly won't perform the favor, of course." He looks at Frostbite as he walks. "And whoever goes would probably be able to make a demand in return. Such as learning where Snowsquall's family (that is, Frostbite's parents) is being kept." He looks at the group. "Any volunteers to meet with them? I will probably be indisposed, dealing with the Brotherhood zebra at the inn, and Crossguard would almost certainly attack the spawn on sight rather than even pretend to deal with it. Anyone else interested in gathering some information?"
Frost grimmaces as Spirit mentions his parents. Were his parents still with the brotherhood? Surely they would not be of use to them now that the barrow had been raided. Except... as hostages.

"Honestly, it sounds like a ridiculously dangerous plan. So much can go wrong, and the brotherhood knows about us so they could be expecting something like this. But if you think it's the best way, I'll volunteer."

[McNum]

As they're walking towards Basuto, Beryl's glow slowly begins to fade. At 9:30 it's down to just a soft golden light just under her coat. A few more hours and it should be gone.

"I'm still not sure it's a good idea to poke them. I don't trust them not to set up an ambush." Beryl continues "I need to get this 'Heliodor' thing checked out. Talk to some scholars or something in the Sun and Dusk temples. Ooh, I hope Dame Epee is back, she probably knows who I need to meet."

She walks a little further, and then stats "Oh, right, I promised to say who 'she' is, didn't I?" Beryl think for a moment on how to say this in the least weird way. "Soo... I had a dream last night where I met several of my past selves. They made me swear an ancient oath, and then a brilliant light filled my mind... and apparently it spilled out making me glow. Anyway, one of those past mes were... me as a foal. It's been that voice telling me how my powers work, only now it's become a LOT more chatty."

She pauses because she knows how mad this sounds.

"I know! Beryl has a voice in her head telling her to do stuff. It sounds really crazy! But Spirit can talk to it, directly! I don't know how he does it, but if it was just my imagination, he shouldn't be able to, right?"

[Fable Wright]

Frost grimmaces as Spirit mentions his parents. Were his parents still with the brotherhood? Surely they would not be of use to them now that the barrow had been raided. Except... as hostages.

"Honestly, it sounds like a ridiculously dangerous plan. So much can go wrong, and the brotherhood knows about us so they could be expecting something like this. But if you think it's the best way, I'll volunteer."

Spirit nods. "Crossguard, Midnight, Ace, and Beryl might be having a drink in the tavern if something goes down wrong. I'm not saying it's risk free, but I am saying that a cleric right next door to turn undead would make it a fair bit safer." He sighs. "I really hope you get your parents back. The spawn might not even show, but if he does... tell him that we also need your parents to open a lock. It's the best explanation we have, really. If he doesn't show..." Spirit thinks for a moment. "Then he'd probably be tailing you. In that case, we'll meet up on main street at 11:30, and I'll help you shake them. It's not the safest plan in the world, I'll admit, but... well. I'd rather risk myself to nip something like Koldstone in the bud, than to risk a town to save myself."


"I know! Beryl has a voice in her head telling her to do stuff. It sounds really crazy! But Spirit can talk to it, directly! I don't know how he does it, but if it was just my imagination, he shouldn't be able to, right?"

Spirit blinks for a few moments. "...I believe that this is the first time that something I've done has been taken as a sign of sanity."

[DigoDragon]

Ace gives Beryl a look. This is a look reserved only for when he was watching someone grow a second head from their left shoulder. "Past selves... so, like did you die as a child and come back... or...?"

He listens to the others talk about volunteering for meeting the Brotherhood. He'd volunteer, but he assumes that he would be vetoed immediately.

[McNum]

Ace gives Beryl a look. This is a look reserved only for when he was watching someone grow a second head from their left shoulder. "Past selves... so, like did you die as a child and come back... or...?"

He listens to the others talk about volunteering for meeting the Brotherhood. He'd volunteer, but he assumes that he would be vetoed immediately.
Beryl sighs a bit, her glow visible dimming. "No... I was foalnapped once as a child. It was horrible, but... I don't think I need to tell you that. She said that all this stuff about Heliodor and how to do all these Paladin things are things I should know, but something happened that night that means I don't. So she's helping as much as she can. I have no idea how she fits in with this whole deal, or how much of this even works. Which is why I need somepony to ask."

[DigoDragon]

"Oh... I-I'm sorry," Ace says remorseful. "I didn't know you were... um, well maybe not knowing how paladin-ing works is a... a good thing? Like, you couldn't fully appreciate the struggle and effort to uphold the light if you never knew what the dark was?"

[Fable Wright]

Ace gives Beryl a look. This is a look reserved only for when he was watching someone grow a second head from their left shoulder. "Past selves... so, like did you die as a child and come back... or...?"

"Ace, I'm fairly sure that I'm the only one here who died as a child. You don't find much Druid training here in the pony lands."


Beryl sighs a bit, her glow visible dimming. "No... I was foalnapped once as a child. I was horrible, but... I don't think I need to tell you that. She said that all this stuff about Heliodor and how to do all these Paladin things are things I should know, but something happened that night that means I don't. So she's helping as much as she can. I have no idea how she fits in with this whole deal, or how much of this even works. Which is why I need somepony to ask."

Spirit starts counting off possibilities on his hooves. "Let's see... given that you didn't go full Paladin there, and your Paladin-hood was stunted a bit, the foalnappers almost certainly were after a Peer specifically. You weren't manifesting any magic at that point, so it almost certainly wasn't the Erlking. If the foalnappers were undead, you'd remember it, so... probably not the Third Crypt, either. I'd almost say that it was the Cult of Fang and Scale, but last I checked, there weren't any copies of the Book of Iron Hexes left in existence; the Peerage tended to be rather enthusiastic in getting rid of those." He shrugged. "Who knows? It's just one of life's little mysteries. The important thing is, you're a Paladin now, and there are ponies trying to do bad things. One mystery at a time, Beryl. One mystery at a time."

[McNum]

"Oh... I-I'm sorry," Ace says remorseful. "I didn't know you were... um, well maybe not knowing how paladin-ing works is a... a good thing? Like, you couldn't fully appreciate the struggle and effort to uphold the light if you never knew what the dark was?"
"Heh, I almost feel bad for saying this, but part of the reason I started playing hero was that I hoped to, at some point, do for somepony else what was done for me. I was rescued, by some scarlet pegasus pony. Probably a Paladin, I don't really know. And then I found myself riding a shapeshifted bear, smashing down doors to save you." Beryl smiles a bit again "...but then I learned that it wasn't about that at all. It's not about looking good or being awesome. It's about being there when you're needed, and doing what you can. Fight vampires and save hostages? Yeah, it's part of it. But being a friendly ear or a shoulder to cry on, or just showing that at least one pony cares... that's just as important."

"Funny enough... she actually told me that I might be better off because I care. So you might be on to something, Ace. Perhaps a Paladin does need to know the dark."


Spirit starts counting off possibilities on his hooves. "Let's see... given that you didn't go full Paladin there, and your Paladin-hood was stunted a bit, the foalnappers almost certainly were after a Peer specifically. You weren't manifesting any magic at that point, so it almost certainly wasn't the Erlking. If the foalnappers were undead, you'd remember it, so... probably not the Third Crypt, either. I'd almost say that it was the Cult of Fang and Scale, but last I checked, there weren't any copies of the Book of Iron Hexes left in existence; the Peerage tended to be rather enthusiastic in getting rid of those." He shrugged. "Who knows? It's just one of life's little mysteries. The important thing is, you're a Paladin now, and there are ponies trying to do bad things. One mystery at a time, Beryl. One mystery at a time."

Beryl looks at Spirit with a look of mental overload. "...what? Uh, yeah. I'll worry about who or what when I have anything to go off. First step is a fairly simple one. Find out who, exactly, Heliodor was!"

[One Tin Soldier]

Frost grimmaces as Spirit mentions his parents. Were his parents still with the brotherhood? Surely they would not be of use to them now that the barrow had been raided. Except... as hostages.

"Honestly, it sounds like a ridiculously dangerous plan. So much can go wrong, and the brotherhood knows about us so they could be expecting something like this. But if you think it's the best way, I'll volunteer."

"Well it definitely won't be me," Midnight says darkly. "I'm pretty sure I couldn't fly a mile with them without making them flee the moon's gaze. Or worse." He rubs the moon and mountain insignia on his armor idly as he contemplates the blasphemous vampires.


Spirit nods. "Crossguard, Midnight, Ace, and Beryl might be having a drink in the tavern if something goes down wrong. I'm not saying it's risk free, but I am saying that a cleric right next door to turn undead would make it a fair bit safer." He sighs. "I really hope you get your parents back. The spawn might not even show, but if he does... tell him that we also need your parents to open a lock. It's the best explanation we have, really. If he doesn't show..." Spirit thinks for a moment. "Then he'd probably be tailing you. In that case, we'll meet up on main street at 11:30, and I'll help you shake them. It's not the safest plan in the world, I'll admit, but... well. I'd rather risk myself to nip something like Koldstone in the bud, than to risk a town to save myself."

"Hanging around on standby, though, that I can do. Maybe even follow discreetly. With this new armor, it'll be a whole lot easier to keep them from noticing me."


Spirit blinks for a few moments. "...I believe that this is the first time that something I've done has been taken as a sign of sanity."

"Think of it this way. One crazy pony might just be seeing things that aren't there. Two crazy ponies seeing the same thing, and maybe they notice something you didn't."


"Ace, I'm fairly sure that I'm the only one here who died as a child. You don't find much Druid training here in the pony lands."

"Actually, I came pretty close a couple times."

[DigoDragon]

"Funny enough... she actually told me that I might be better off because I care. So you might be on to something, Ace. Perhaps a Paladin does need to know the dark."

Beryl looks at Spirit with a look of mental overload. "...what? Uh, yeah. I'll worry about who or what when I have anything to go off. First step is a fairly simple one. Find out who, exactly, Heliodor was!"

Ace looks pleased that he might be right about something. It certainly makes him feel better after his faux pas earlier. He is quick to helpfully interject-- "Heliodor? Well the Master Librarian has the largest library of common subjects in the Fetloch area. Unless this Heliodor dealt in some dark arts or predates recorded history, I'm sure there is something on the shelf about him... her?"


"Honestly, it sounds like a ridiculously dangerous plan. So much can go wrong, and the brotherhood knows about us so they could be expecting something like this. But if you think it's the best way, I'll volunteer."

"Well it definitely won't be me," Midnight says darkly. "I'm pretty sure I couldn't fly a mile with them without making them flee the moon's gaze. Or worse." He rubs the moon and mountain insignia on his armor idly as he contemplates the blasphemous vampires.

Cherub started speaking to Frost telepathically-- "Soo... we're doing what? Shouldn't Midnight do it? He's wearing a can. By comparison we're squishy cheese."

[McNum]

Ace looks pleased that he might be right about something. It certainly makes him feel better after his faux pas earlier. He is quick to helpfully interject-- "Heliodor? Well the Master Librarian has the largest library of common subjects in the Fetloch area. Unless this Heliodor dealt in some dark arts or predates recorded history, I'm sure there is something on the shelf about him... her?"
"Maybe? I doubt Heliodor dealt in dark arts, because, you know... Paladin. But he or she might be too ancient to be recorded." Beryl muses for a moment "I guess the Twelve Peers would at least have a legend about them or something. I should probably check. Between the library, the Sun Paladins, and the Dusk Temple, I'd hope somepony knows at least something."

[Jurai]

"Maybe? I doubt Heliodor dealt in dark arts, because, you know... Paladin. But he or she might be too ancient to be recorded." Beryl muses for a moment "I guess the Twelve Peers would at least have a legend about them or something. I should probably check. Between the library, the Sun Paladins, and the Dusk Temple, I'd hope somepony knows at least something."

"Once I can spare the time to make my report with the Knights of the Sun, I will look it up in the libraries at the Temple of the Sun." Crossguard says. "But we need to keep an eye on our objective."

[Beacon of Chaos]

Spoilered for a conversation that happened before we left.

[roll0]
Ace thinks for a moment, then he taps the table. "Ah, I believe what you are missing is... what do you call them... a pearl. Your spell identifies magic right?"

He pulls out a spell book and flips through some pages until he reaches one in particular. "I haven't mastered that spell yet, but I have notes here. Right, a valuable pearl, as the mother of pearl acts as a conduit to transfer... uh, essence, scent... signature of the magical effects to you so you can mentally 'read' what they are."
"Interesting... conveniently we found a pearl in the barrow. I hope magical pearls can work just as well." He looks over Ace's book. "You know, we could always... trade notes? I've just figured out a spell to create a... oh blast what do they call them? Like a magical animal assistant for a wizard... a familiar! I'd be happy to teach you it. Might need some form of meditation to get you in the mindset for it, just as you might need to teach me how to read your notations, aheh."


Cherub started speaking to Frost telepathically-- "Soo... we're doing what? Shouldn't Midnight do it? He's wearing a can. By comparison we're squishy cheese."
Spirit wants me to put on a disguise and pretend to join the brotherhood. It's a plan that probably won't work and will result in us having to kill whatever vampire decides to show up to this meeting Spirit somehow set up, plus whatever it brings as backup. And I'll be doing it because... *sigh* because there's still a chance I can save my parents.

And also because Spirit is buggering off and leaving it to us, and the others can't be trusted not to vaporize the vamp on sight.

On the plus side, you'll be out of harm's way. I'll leave you with the holy ponies so you can tell them to move in when everything goes wrong.

[DigoDragon]

Spoilered for a conversation that happened before we left.

"Interesting... conveniently we found a pearl in the barrow. I hope magical pearls can work just as well." He looks over Ace's book. "You know, we could always... trade notes? I've just figured out a spell to create a... oh blast what do they call them? Like a magical animal assistant for a wizard... a familiar! I'd be happy to teach you it. Might need some form of meditation to get you in the mindset for it, just as you might need to teach me how to read your notations, aheh."

"I think that sounds like a fun time," Ace remarks. "Sure, I would like to trade lessons with you. We'd both get better at our respective crafts! ...and I could finally do something with this skeletal hand Spirit gave me. Hmm."



*sigh* because there's still a chance I can save my parents.

On the plus side, you'll be out of harm's way. I'll leave you with the holy ponies so you can tell them to move in when everything goes wrong.

Cherub scrunched his nose. "Not sure how your friends will understand me. I don't think they speak my language."

"If you really want to find your parents, you should tap into your strength-- magic. Think of yourself as a mouse, and your parents as cheese. Magic is your nose. ...I forget where I'm going with this metaphor, but I assure you it sounded good in my head."



"Maybe? I doubt Heliodor dealt in dark arts, because, you know... Paladin. But he or she might be too ancient to be recorded." Beryl muses for a moment "I guess the Twelve Peers would at least have a legend about them or something. I should probably check. Between the library, the Sun Paladins, and the Dusk Temple, I'd hope somepony knows at least something."

"Once I can spare the time to make my report with the Knights of the Sun, I will look it up in the libraries at the Temple of the Sun." Crossguard says. "But we need to keep an eye on our objective."

"I'm sure Ivy and I can scour the library shelves for the oldest books we have on paladins," Ace says.

[Fable Wright]

"Actually, I came pretty close a couple times."

"There is a difference between 'close' and 'familiar with the order in which your vertebrae snap when different big cats bite down', though."


Ace looks pleased that he might be right about something. It certainly makes him feel better after his faux pas earlier. He is quick to helpfully interject-- "Heliodor? Well the Master Librarian has the largest library of common subjects in the Fetloch area. Unless this Heliodor dealt in some dark arts or predates recorded history, I'm sure there is something on the shelf about him... her?"

Spirit snorts. "Last I checked, she's censored her content heavily. If she's struck nearly all references to the biggest threat to the Fetloch area from the shelves, I've no doubt she'd do the same with other topics. She may have had a good reason, but I place little trust in the integrity of her library."

[DigoDragon]

Spirit snorts. "Last I checked, she's censored her content heavily. If she's struck nearly all references to the biggest threat to the Fetloch area from the shelves, I've no doubt she'd do the same with other topics. She may have had a good reason, but I place little trust in the integrity of her library."

"She censored something in her collection? Interesting..." Ace seems very intrigued by this bit of information, but doesn't ask any questions about it. By lunch time it no longer appears to be in his active thoughts.


Lunch is actually on Ace's mind during lunch! Seems like growing colts need their meals. Or something. The giant spider climbs a nearby tree to suck the juices out of her meal in peace. The weather is still slightly overcast, but holding despite the cold air. Could be a pretty deep winter this year? Well lunch goes by without incident, but you do pass a large caravan going in the opposite direction with the goal of reaching Arendale. You give them the news about Koldstone and they react with about the right amount of concern. They ponder the idea of lightening their load of supplies at the village on their way to the festival.
[roll0]
By 6:30 pm you see Basuto and her mighty gates. The wind has picked up a little, necessitating secure clothing to keep warm. The guards perform their usual business of inspecting those coming inside and watching out for trouble. They're on the ball this evening as one of the scouts up in a tower spot your party being followed by a very large spider. The portcullis is lowered and guards have their hooves on the hilts of their weapons. Their stance is defensive and they seem to wait your action first. Probably because you're all not actively running from the spider.

[Fable Wright]

As the weather grew cold, Spirit kept true to his promise and used Druidcraft to warm his traveling companion's carapace. After a while, he entertained himself by whispering to the weather spirits, divining their responses from the golden glow of his magic. When was the wind going to break? Was it going to storm within 24 hours? If so, when?

As time passes and party can see the portcullis close, Spirit waves a hoof at the guards. "Hello! This is Beryl Bakestone, baker and paladin-in-training, Crossguard Platine, knight errant of Equestria and paladin trainer, Midnight of the Dusk Temple, and Frostbite, nephew of Snowsquall of the Trent line. We seek to rest in Basuto for the night, and head out by ship in the morning." He pauses, then realizes why the guards closed the gate. "Oh! And this is Sheila, the giant spider. We had a bit of trouble in Koldstone, we met Sheila, and she's helping us out. She was a bit nervous to enter a pony town, I'll admit, but she was intrigued by things like fireplaces and walls that block out wind. It's... a bit demeaning to her, but could I apply for a permit to let her into the city? If you have any, of course. She's friendly, she just fed, and she won't be any trouble, I promise."

[DigoDragon]

Ace mumbles something unintelligible, glancing at the head officer's big sword and then to the spider for just a moment. The spider doesn't seem to react much, just being defensive right now, but she probably doesn't understand common, so...

After the guards exchange some glances the head officer at the gate motions for the portcullis to be raised. "Keep that beast on a short leash. If it so much as leers at one of my citizens wrong, I won't hesitate to remove it from the city, piece by piece." He steps aside to let the party through.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit nods. "Understood completely, sir." He looks at the sun in the sky, then promptly heads towards the temple district with his spider, keeping one hoof on her at all times. "Crossguard, Midnight," he says, automatically assuming they were headed the same direction, "do you know if the Temples of Sun or Dusk can grant peacebond effects? Magically keeping a volunteer, such as a spider, from harming living ponies? And if they do, could they or would they add a mark to signify that such a creature was harmless? If so, it would make this process much simpler. Now and in the future."

[Beacon of Chaos]

"I think that sounds like a fun time," Ace remarks. "Sure, I would like to trade lessons with you. We'd both get better at our respective crafts! ...and I could finally do something with this skeletal hand Spirit gave me. Hmm."
"Great! This is really exciting! ...Skeletal what now?"


Cherub scrunched his nose. "Not sure how your friends will understand me. I don't think they speak my language."

"If you really want to find your parents, you should tap into your strength-- magic. Think of yourself as a mouse, and your parents as cheese. Magic is your nose. ...I forget where I'm going with this metaphor, but I assure you it sounded good in my head."

We'd have to come up with some gestures before, yeah.

And that's what I'd like to do, but this kind of thing requires more specialised magic than I'm used to. Maybe Ace and I can work something out.


and Frostbite, nephew of Snowsquall of the Trent line.
Frost leans over to Spirit. "I'd prefer it if you didn't go around making claims like that about me. We don't know what my relation to Snowsquall is, and I'm not sure I really want to be associated with the Trents right now."

[Jurai]

"I believe so, Spirit, but I am uncertain."

[Fable Wright]

Frost leans over to Spirit. "I'd prefer it if you didn't go around making claims like that about me. We don't know what my relation to Snowsquall is, and I'm not sure I really want to be associated with the Trents right now."

Spirit grimaces and nods. "Best case scenario, word trickles up to Snowsquall and he'll investigate personally. Average scenario, it gets us through the gates. Worst case scenario, we find someone willing to do something about the Trents in general. I didn't think there was a downside, but it is your name and your right. I'm sorry."


"I believe so, Spirit, but I am uncertain."

He sighs in relief. "Good. So long as ponies believe that it's possible, it doesn't matter if such magic exists." He continues trotting towards the temples, heading towards Sun first. Ponies strangely seem to trust it more, so its authority is probably more useful here.

[DigoDragon]

"Great! This is really exciting! ...Skeletal what now?"

Ace pulls out the mummified claw hand of a griffon. "Spirit said I should turn this into my minion. I'm not sure what I'd do with a... well I'm not sure what I'd do with a miniature minion," the unicorn explains. "I'll have to ponder it later after you teach me the familiarity of... err, familiars."



We'd have to come up with some gestures before, yeah.

And that's what I'd like to do, but this kind of thing requires more specialised magic than I'm used to. Maybe Ace and I can work something out.

"Alright, just hope you'll soon come up with more than... 12% of a plan," Cherub says.



Frost leans over to Spirit. "I'd prefer it if you didn't go around making claims like that about me. We don't know what my relation to Snowsquall is, and I'm not sure I really want to be associated with the Trents right now."

Spirit grimaces and nods. "Best case scenario, word trickles up to Snowsquall and he'll investigate personally. Average scenario, it gets us through the gates. Worst case scenario, we find someone willing to do something about the Trents in general. I didn't think there was a downside, but it is your name and your right. I'm sorry."

Ace tugs on Frost's shoulder. "Hey, you want me to see if I can find an invisibility spell and tag along sight-unseen when you meet the vampire? You know, to help out?"



"I believe so, Spirit, but I am uncertain."

He sighs in relief. "Good. So long as ponies believe that it's possible, it doesn't matter if such magic exists." He continues trotting towards the temples, heading towards Sun first. Ponies strangely seem to trust it more, so its authority is probably more useful here.
[roll0][roll1]
Unsurprisingly, ponies were jumping off the streets to get away from the giant spider following the party. There were a number of yelps and gasps, including at least half a dozen ponies that gripped the hilt of a weapon just in case the beast turned on them, but 'Sheila' behaved, if begrudgingly. To say she was annoyed would be understating it.

Spirit makes it to the Sun temple without anything attacking or catching fire. Out of the two guards at the gate, one nearly soils himself while the other raises her shield reflexively. "That... are you a druid?" she asks.

[Jurai]

Ace pulls out the mummified claw hand of a griffon. "Spirit said I should turn this into my minion. I'm not sure what I'd do with a... well I'm not sure what I'd do with a miniature minion," the unicorn explains. "I'll have to ponder it later after you teach me the familiarity of... err, familiars."




"Alright, just hope you'll soon come up with more than... 12% of a plan," Cherub says.





Ace tugs on Frost's shoulder. "Hey, you want me to see if I can find an invisibility spell and tag along sight-unseen when you meet the vampire? You know, to help out?"




[roll0][roll1]
Unsurprisingly, ponies were jumping off the streets to get away from the giant spider following the party. There were a number of yelps and gasps, including at least half a dozen ponies that gripped the hilt of a weapon just in case the beast turned on them, but 'Sheila' behaved, if begrudgingly. To say she was annoyed would be understating it.

Spirit makes it to the Sun temple without anything attacking or catching fire. Out of the two guards at the gate, one nearly soils himself while the other raises her shield reflexively. "That... are you a druid?" she asks.

"Yes, and we call him Spirit." Crossguard says. "He's my friend, and I'm fairly certain he considers that mutual. Fairly certain." She says. "We're here to inquire about a peacebond so that ponies can tell that she's not a threat."

[Fable Wright]

Unsurprisingly, ponies were jumping off the streets to get away from the giant spider following the party. There were a number of yelps and gasps, including at least half a dozen ponies that gripped the hilt of a weapon just in case the beast turned on them, but 'Sheila' behaved, if begrudgingly. To say she was annoyed would be understating it.

Spirit makes it to the Sun temple without anything attacking or catching fire. Out of the two guards at the gate, one nearly soils himself while the other raises her shield reflexively. "That... are you a druid?" she asks.

"No, I'm a bear in a zebra suit." Spirit replies dryly, before sighing. "Sorry. I'm a druid formerly of the Moonbeam clan, and I'm slightly frustrated at the ponies in this town. I thought being open about Sheila would help ponies recognize she's not a threat, but now I'm wondering if I should just be hiding her in my shadow until night falls and she can stroll about unseen. Where I come from, the word of a shaman that a beast was harmless would keep everyzebra from panicking, even if there was a tyrannosaur roaming the streets. I'm just hoping that a cleric here could use their influence or magic to the same effect."

[DigoDragon]

"Yes, and we call him Spirit." Crossguard says. "He's my friend, and I'm fairly certain he considers that mutual. Fairly certain." She says. "We're here to inquire about a peacebond so that ponies can tell that she's not a threat."

"No, I'm a bear in a zebra suit." Spirit replies dryly, before sighing. "Sorry. I'm a druid formerly of the Moonbeam clan, and I'm slightly frustrated at the ponies in this town. I thought being open about Sheila would help ponies recognize she's not a threat, but now I'm wondering if I should just be hiding her in my shadow until night falls and she can stroll about unseen. Where I come from, the word of a shaman that a beast was harmless would keep everyzebra from panicking, even if there was a tyrannosaur roaming the streets. I'm just hoping that a cleric here could use their influence or magic to the same effect."

The mare paladin listens to the requests and let out a little sigh. It wasn't one of frustration however, more of sympathy. She unties a small white cloth from her scabbard that bears the holy symbol of the knights and approaches Sheila. The giant spider hesitates and takes a step back. The paladin makes a soft clicking sound and holds out the cloth. A moment later, Sheila lets the paladin tie the cloth to one of her forelegs so that the symbol is visible.

"There, everyone will recognize our symbol. It should keep all but the most determined from lashing out at her," the paladin says. She pauses and looks at Spirit. "To the south of the town Nabru you can find Clan Henry, should you feel more comfortable among more like-minded folks."

The other paladin had pretty much just stood there silently and nervously.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit sighs and thanks the mare. "I thank you deeply. I shall go try and find items to make Shiela less imposing. In the meantime, I believe someone will require some literature on the ancient Paladins known as the Twelve Peers later today. And you," he turns to the terrified colt, "do you think Shiela would look better in a red or purple cape? And do you think a ostrich feather or jester hat would be more her style?"

After he responds, Spirit will thank him for his time, and heads to the market district, chanting the miracle to let him speak with Shiela along the way. "I am... sorry. I am doing what I can to keep these ponies from being hostile, but I need at least two more stops before I've everything I need. If this is too much for you, I can keep you from sight. So far, I am certain you are safe from being accosted, and our next stop should make ponies less agitated around you. Bear with me a little longer." After that, he quietly walks along with Shiela, keeping a leg on her back for warmth if that seems to calm her as he wanders into the district, seeking any store that sells gaudy-looking robes and/or silly hats for a reasonable price. When he does come across such a store or stall, he'll waste no time in both asking Shiela which she would like to wear the most, and the shopkeep which she looks best in.

[DigoDragon]

he turns to the terrified colt, "do you think Shiela would look better in a red or purple cape? And do you think a ostrich feather or jester hat would be more her style?"

The mare paladin elbows the other and he finally responds. "UhPurpleNotBloodColored," he hastily says.



seeking any store that sells gaudy-looking robes and/or silly hats for a reasonable price. When he does come across such a store or stall, he'll waste no time in both asking Shiela which she would like to wear the most, and the shopkeep which she looks best in.

Finding the clothing stalls isn't a problem. It's getting anyone to respond to such a question. Spiders don't have much for facial expression, so all Spirit can seem to get out of Sheila's body language was something akin to mild annoyance. The stall merchant jut points to the largest wool hat and matching purple cloak he has. Raised eyebrows he only seems to squeak "Hat Cloak... spider things... one silver?"

[One Tin Soldier]

Ace tugs on Frost's shoulder. "Hey, you want me to see if I can find an invisibility spell and tag along sight-unseen when you meet the vampire? You know, to help out?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea," Midnight says, unsarcastically for once. "If you go along, you can keep an eye on things, and come get us whe- *cough* if things go wrong."

[Fable Wright]

Spirit sighed and gave the man eight coppers for the cloak. "The hat is lovely, but not what I'm going for. Do you know a hatter, perchance? Someone with a silly enough arrangement that one could ignore a spider under it? Something wide-brimmed, floppy, with a feather or ponytail on top?"

When he gets directions, he'll head in that direction with Shiela, draping the cape over her cephalothorax. "Good lady, it's rather hard to tell what you're thinking at times. Earlier, when we first walked in, you seemed so agitated at all the attention. Now that I'm gathering you a leaf to hide under, you seem irritated at the prospect of such a thing. A good leaf is full of color to distract predators, is it not?" He sighs again. "I can't make problems go away unless you tell me what they are. Feel free to speak up, or tap me on the back, if you ever feel like I could do something for you."

[DigoDragon]

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea," Midnight says, unsarcastically for once. "If you go along, you can keep an eye on things, and come get us whe- *cough* if things go wrong."

"It's easier to... you know, just assume things go wrong," Ace says in a sobering moment. "Alright, well, I'm going home then to the college and gather preparations in case anyone wants to go shopping. I think Spirit is off for a hat and I think there is a fletcher down this street?"



When he gets directions, he'll head in that direction with Shiela, draping the cape over her cephalothorax. "Good lady, it's rather hard to tell what you're thinking at times. Earlier, when we first walked in, you seemed so agitated at all the attention. Now that I'm gathering you a leaf to hide under, you seem irritated at the prospect of such a thing. A good leaf is full of color to distract predators, is it not?" He sighs again. "I can't make problems go away unless you tell me what they are. Feel free to speak up, or tap me on the back, if you ever feel like I could do something for you."
[roll0]
Sheila makes some raspy equivalent of a sigh. "Leaves conform to their surrounding. Here... I see very few leaves. I do not see why you insist I wear the skins of food."

The hatter was starting to close for the night when Spirit arrived at his shop. "Whoa... that is one BIG spider," he says, with a tone somewhere between wary and curious. "So, you looking for something warm yourself or for the lady with you?"

[Fable Wright]

Sheila makes some raspy equivalent of a sigh. "Leaves conform to their surrounding. Here... I see very few leaves. I do not see why you insist I wear the skins of food."

Spirit raises an eyebrow, then looks at his matted leather armor and the smudged dye in his coat. "Many things take different forms in these towns, where trees are boxes, fire is safety rather than fear, and the webs constrict the world around the prey, rather than the prey itself. Ponies drape themselves in leaves of cloth to hide the parts of themselves that others fear or hate; to shield themselves from hostility. Such leaves may work even on one such as you. These 'skins' may blend in better than you think."


The hatter was starting to close for the night when Spirit arrived at his shop. "Whoa... that is one BIG spider," he says, with a tone somewhere between wary and curious. "So, you looking for something warm yourself or for the lady with you?"

Spirit smirks. The cape was already doing some work. He muttered a prayer for Guidance under his breath, then approaches the counter. "I'm looking for a little something the lady can hide her bashful face under. Something that would make a drunkard do a double take rather than flee in terror, and foppish enough that its wearer could only be that type of pony. You know what I'm talking about?"

[Jurai]

Crossguard nods. "Thank you for the help. When Dame Epee returns, I will make a report to her." She salutes the guards. "May the Sun shine upon your endeavors."

[Beacon of Chaos]

Ace pulls out the mummified claw hand of a griffon. "Spirit said I should turn this into my minion. I'm not sure what I'd do with a... well I'm not sure what I'd do with a miniature minion," the unicorn explains. "I'll have to ponder it later after you teach me the familiarity of... err, familiars."
"That's... well normally I'd say that's weird, but this is Spirit we're talking about here. I guess that makes sense for a necromancer though. Oh, that reminds me, did you decide on your thesis yet?"


"Alright, just hope you'll soon come up with more than... 12% of a plan," Cherub says.
Me too, buddy. Me too.


Ace tugs on Frost's shoulder. "Hey, you want me to see if I can find an invisibility spell and tag along sight-unseen when you meet the vampire? You know, to help out?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea," Midnight says, unsarcastically for once. "If you go along, you can keep an eye on things, and come get us whe- *cough* if things go wrong."
Frost smiles. "Yeah, that's a pretty good idea. Let's head back to the library. Maybe find some illusion magic to use for a disguise, too."

[DigoDragon]

"These 'skins' may blend in better than you think."

"...fine, I will try these things. But then we will make nest for it is getting late and the bitter cold is nipping at my legs."



"Something that would make a drunkard do a double take rather than flee in terror, and foppish enough that its wearer could only be that type of pony. You know what I'm talking about?"

The hatter thinks for a moment, not sure what fashion would even work on a giant spider. He then trots into the back room. After a moment of rummaging, he comes back out with the largest gaudiest brimmiest hat that exists (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c2XoGVOvZSM/UqPlGyU1bAI/AAAAAAABoAc/Ghp7zIR4rew/s1600/8.PNG) in the city. It was large enough that didn't look like it was meant to be worn by a pony with a normal-sized head.



Crossguard nods. "Thank you for the help. When Dame Epee returns, I will make a report to her." She salutes the guards. "May the Sun shine upon your endeavors."

"Thank you, Dame. And to you as well. I will let Epee know you seek audience when she returns," the mare says.



"That's... well normally I'd say that's weird, but this is Spirit we're talking about here. I guess that makes sense for a necromancer though. Oh, that reminds me, did you decide on your thesis yet?"

Frost smiles. "Yeah, that's a pretty good idea. Let's head back to the library. Maybe find some illusion magic to use for a disguise, too."

"I went with Divination, with a minor in transmutation," Ace replies. "After a night's rest it was what my instincts told me, and momma always says think with your instinct. Never steers you wrong when you're trying to survive."

Ace leads those that wish to return to the college. At the entrance he knocks on the door and Ivy answers. "Ace! You're back!" the mare squeals happily. She hugs her friend and lets everyone in past the wards. "Master Librarian left last night and hasn't returned, but she said you might come by. So, tell me what happened! How was your trip? Did you all do... what ever you do? ...what did you do?" She goes to get some tea and biscuits while listening for the party to explain it all.

[Fable Wright]

"...fine, I will try these things. But then we will make nest for it is getting late and the bitter cold is nipping at my legs."

Spirit nods, and works a bit of Druidcraft to warm the non-living chitin surrounding Sheila's legs as a stopgap measure, if nothing more.


The hatter thinks for a moment, not sure what fashion would even work on a giant spider. He then trots into the back room. After a moment of rummaging, he comes back out with the largest gaudiest brimmiest hat that exists (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c2XoGVOvZSM/UqPlGyU1bAI/AAAAAAABoAc/Ghp7zIR4rew/s1600/8.PNG) in the city. It was large enough that didn't look like it was meant to be worn by a pony with a normal-sized head.

Spirit nods. "This is a very good start. Could this come with an oversized feather, silk flower, or veil-like cloth around the sizes and back? If so, I'm sold."

[DigoDragon]

Spirit nods. "This is a very good start. Could this come with an oversized feather, silk flower, or veil-like cloth around the sizes and back? If so, I'm sold."

"Sure, I could probably sew a veil on. Give me fifteen minutes." The hatter takes the hat to his workbench and begins adding some accouterments as Spirit asked. It takes him slightly longer than estimated by about 3 minutes, but he does get a veil and cloth flower sewn onto the hat.

"That should work, wouldn't you say? Cover her eyes and upper.. .um.. mandibles? Anyway, that'll be 6 copper coins."

[Fable Wright]

Spirit blinks in surprise. He was not used to clothes costing less than a drink, and didn't have much small change on hand. He hoofs the hatter a silver. "Keep the change. I... hate to ask, but how is it that you make money around these parts? Between material costs and labor, much less rent, cost of living, and tending the shop, it's a wonder you can afford to charge so little for a hat like this." He places it on Shiela's head backwards, so that the veil frames her face almost like a mane, and attempts to prop the flower up at something approaching a jaunty angle.

[DigoDragon]

The hatter sits down on his chair, then lowers the lantern light by his desk. "Well, I've had this hat for quite some time. Before me it belonged to a prince years back. A vain stallion, he only wore the most perfect of fashions and would have nothing less. Slaves toiled to find him the softest silks, the richest colors, the tightest weaves for his clothing. One day he was struck blind by disease, but would not lay still until a cleric would come to cure him. Nay, he continued his lavish lifestyle unapologetic until one day his servants would have no more. They banded together and sewn this hat for him, claiming it was the finest hat in all the lands and would grant him true sight."

"Whether by ironic fate tempted or just luck of a waning disease, the prince's sight did return shortly after donning that hat. Enraged by the insult, he slew everyone one of his slaves down to the last porter and maid. He then took his own life, leaving no heir to his fortunes. His hat went to a cousin, and being a more sensible if still vain noble, had left the hat to his slave as a token of... well, amusement. The following night this cousin was found dead, torn to pieces in his own bed. His slave was found hung in the galley. The hat was bought by a pauper who once was a wealthy merchant. He too died under mysterious and violent circumstances. That's when it fell to me. I never wore it myself, but I had a theory. See, it seems that those who care not for fashion are unaffected by this hat's curse. Those conscious of their looks to great need fall into uncontrollable madness, ending in murder and their own suicide. So to say I charge you too little... nay. I have sold you a curse. And you have overpaid. But, your friend there is eight legs and no fashion sense. She is the chosen one to bear that hat's burden and release the curse to rest."

He was silent for a moment, studying Sheila. It actually got to the point that the giant spider seemed a bit... nervous for once.


The hatter then let out a raspy laugh. "Phhhwahaha... Naw, I'm just yanking your chain. I won that hat in a poker game some weeks ago. No one would buy it, so I was just gonna toss it in the trash later. I'm only charging for the basic veil add on. It's no big cost. She wears it better than any pony in this city. You two go have a good time out there."

[One Tin Soldier]

Ace leads those that wish to return to the college. At the entrance he knocks on the door and Ivy answers. "Ace! You're back!" the mare squeals happily. She hugs her friend and lets everyone in past the wards. "Master Librarian left last night and hasn't returned, but she said you might come by. So, tell me what happened! How was your trip? Did you all do... what ever you do? ...what did you do?" She goes to get some tea and biscuits while listening for the party to explain it all.

With no one else volunteering to start the explanation, Midnight decides to go ahead. "Well, the morning after we left here last, we travelled up to Koldstone. When we got there, though, the place looked abandoned..." He gives a [roll0] brief and... honestly, fairly blunt and lackluster account of their journey. He does try to leave out any sensitive details (such as the journal they found, or the Brotherhood's exact role in the events).

[Fable Wright]

Spirit smiles through the story, not buying it for a moment, then tosses the hatter a second coin. "To make up for the stallion who stiffed you on his bet." He sighs happily. "I miss the days of bull****ting around a fire after dark. Ah well." He heads out the door with Sheila, waving a hoof back at the shopkeeper. "If I weren't busy tonight, I'd ask to join you. Maybe next time!"

He trots back to the Sleepy Salamander, taking a deep breath. Time to try and deal with a zebra who probably hates him representing an organization designed to kill him. It felt just like home. He takes one of Sheila's legs in his own, as though he were bringing a date, and nods to Norm as he approaches, trying to hold back his grin. "Sorry about last time, Norm. Didn't realize that bringing a gator could get you in trouble." He peeks inside, checking to see if his messaged zebra mare had shown up yet.

[McNum]

Beryl, who had been following Crossguard to the Knights of the Sun, decides to go look for a fletcher. Something tells her that she'll be able to do a pretty impressive trick shot if she got a bow "I told her that!" so off she went.

When Beryl finds the fletcher or weapons store, she walks up to the salespony and asks.

"Hello! I am looking for a longbow, do you have any for sale?"

Having been on the other side of a counter for a long time, Beryl knows to keep things clear and to the point. Nopony likes a customer who comes in and says "I'd like, maybe a bow, or something? With, you know, like a string?"

[DigoDragon]

He gives a [2] brief and... honestly, fairly blunt and lackluster account of their journey. He does try to leave out any sensitive details (such as the journal they found, or the Brotherhood's exact role in the events).

Ivy still manages to listen intently (probabl practice from many a dry lesson by Master Librarian). Once Midnight finishes, Ivy sets out the tea and biscuits. "Hmm, Master didn't say where she was going, but... I swear by the six stars that I had heard her say something about checking a tomb."

"Ivy, we have a... more pressing thing to check on," Ace speaks up.

The unicorn filly gives Ace her full attention. "Yes, Ace?"

*ahem* "Frostbite needs to talk to someone from that Brotherhood group. To find a way to get his parents back. Think you can help with disguises?"

"Oh... I guess.. um..." Ivy hesitates, but then nods. "Yeah sure. My illusion magic isn't very good, but I guess you mean the other thing."

"Yeah, that thing. Can you do the thing?"

Ivy sighs, but she seems okay with it, giving Ace a playful punch in the shoulder. "Okay. For you, I'll do the thing." She leaves the room and comes back several minutes later with a small trunk full of random clothes and accessories.



"Hello! I am looking for a longbow, do you have any for sale?"

Having been on the other side of a counter for a long time, Beryl knows to keep things clear and to the point. Nopony likes a customer who comes in and says "I'd like, maybe a bow, or something? With, you know, like a string?"

The fletcher nods in the direction of a big rack of bows as she's closing shop; Longbows, shortbows, some as big as a pony. Various wood grains and strengths too. One in particular that catches Beryl's eye is a bow seemingly made of crystal. It clearly is from the empire judging by its make and craftmanship.

"Feel free to test their pull," the mare says from the counter.



He trots back to the Sleepy Salamander, taking a deep breath. Time to try and deal with a zebra who probably hates him representing an organization designed to kill him. It felt just like home. He takes one of Sheila's legs in his own, as though he were bringing a date, and nods to Norm as he approaches, trying to hold back his grin. "Sorry about last time, Norm. Didn't realize that bringing a gator could get you in trouble." He peeks inside, checking to see if his messaged zebra mare had shown up yet.

Norm has this incredulous stare at the giant spider wearing a purple cape and big... is that a hat? Dear sweet Solaria, what did this stallion bring into my tavern? He rubs his eyes. "Just... no webbing or eating patrons in my establishment. Please," Norm begs.

There was a ruckus in the tavern this night. A large (and drunken) crowd was gathered around to watch three ponies throw daggers at a dart board. One is a tall burly and scruffy red stallion, a second a wiry but nimble mare, and the third the very zebra that Spirit was looking for. There was a lot of noise and betting going on, which at least means no one was really paying attention to Sheila. The giant spider climbs up to the ceiling to have a better vantage point and to be out of the way of the crowd.
[roll0]
From what Spirit can see, the zebra is currently winning.

[McNum]

The fletcher nods in the direction of a big rack of bows as she's closing shop; Longbows, shortbows, some as big as a pony. Various wood grains and strengths too. One in particular that catches Beryl's eye is a bow seemingly made of crystal. It clearly is from the empire judging by its make and craftmanship.

"Feel free to test their pull," the mare says from the counter.
"Wow, you have a crystal longbow?" Beryl remarks, betraying her interest. She tests out the pull of it and it feels just like home. She could swear this was the same kind of bow she practiced with when her father sent her to learn how to fight.

"I'd like this one, please, and a quiver with 20 arrows. How much for that in total?"

[DigoDragon]

"Wow, you have a crystal longbow?" Beryl remarks, betraying her interest. She tests out the pull of it and it feels just like home. She could swear this was the same kind of bow she practiced with when her father sent her to learn how to fight.

"I'd like this one, please, and a quiver with 20 arrows. How much for that in total?"

"All together, 52 gold," the fletcher answers. "Crystal bows are a rarity this far south, but interestingly not in high demand. Most folks around these parts seem to think more 'novelty' when they see it."

[McNum]

"All together, 52 gold," the fletcher answers. "Crystal bows are a rarity this far south, but interestingly not in high demand. Most folks around these parts seem to think more 'novelty' when they see it."
"I don't blame them. If you're used to a wooden bow, then you'd want another. I'm used to the crystal bow, it has its quirks, but it shoots as well as any bow."

Beryl fishes out 52 gold from her purse and puts them on the counter. "And that should be fifty-two. Nice doing business with you. I really didn't expect find one of these." Beryl looks at her new crystal longbow with a pleased expression.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit smiles, then politely takes a seat near the dartboard and waits for the mare to notice him. Far be it from him to interrupt their game, and there were still hours to kill before Frostbite had his meeting. He could wait.

[Beacon of Chaos]

"I went with Divination, with a minor in transmutation," Ace replies. "After a night's rest it was what my instincts told me, and momma always says think with your instinct. Never steers you wrong when you're trying to survive."
"That's good advice. Very sorcerer-like, if I may say so. Does magic run in your family at all?"


Ace leads those that wish to return to the college. At the entrance he knocks on the door and Ivy answers. "Ace! You're back!" the mare squeals happily. She hugs her friend and lets everyone in past the wards. "Master Librarian left last night and hasn't returned, but she said you might come by. So, tell me what happened! How was your trip? Did you all do... what ever you do? ...what did you do?" She goes to get some tea and biscuits while listening for the party to explain it all.
"We had some crazy times. Lifting a curse from a village, fighting an elemental creature, dealing with dead bodies, and now we have a giant spider following us. Good times."


Ivy sighs, but she seems okay with it, giving Ace a playful punch in the shoulder. "Okay. For you, I'll do the thing." She leaves the room and comes back several minutes later with a small trunk full of random clothes and accessories.
"...The thing?"

[DigoDragon]

Beryl fishes out 52 gold from her purse and puts them on the counter. "And that should be fifty-two. Nice doing business with you. I really didn't expect find one of these." Beryl looks at her new crystal longbow with a pleased expression.

"Imperial weapons rarely find their way this far south. Perhaps that one was meant for you," the fletcher says. "Well, you have yourself a fine evening and good hunting to you."



Spirit smiles, then politely takes a seat near the dartboard and waits for the mare to notice him. Far be it from him to interrupt their game, and there were still hours to kill before Frostbite had his meeting. He could wait.
[roll0]
The game was over in just minutes after Spirit sits down. The zebra trounces both opponents with two near bullseyes, scoring the most points. There are cheers, jeers, and the exchange of money all around. The crowd then disperses a bit as patrons get refills. The zebra mare stands by the dart board, pulling out her daggers and counting her earnings.


"That's good advice. Very sorcerer-like, if I may say so. Does magic run in your family at all?"

"Magic... runs a little in my family. My mother mostly, lots of little illusion tricks. My oldest brother knows how to make fire and one sister can do a bit of prestidigitation," Ace recalls. "My siblings and I pick up our skills from traveling mages. It comes natural for my mother. I'm the first to actually enroll in a college to study it full time."


"We had some crazy times. Lifting a curse from a village, fighting an elemental creature, dealing with dead bodies, and now we have a giant spider following us. Good times."

Ivy seems quite enamored with the part about lifting curses and fighting elementals, but that cheer gets uncomfortable on the subject of dead bodies. She look curious on the subject of giant spiders. "Sounds like it was an exciting adventure. I'm sorry that I missed it."


"...The thing?"

"Uh... my previous life before Master Librarian took me in. It was... *ahem* less lawful. But it involved making good disguises so... kinda okay?"

[Jurai]

Crossguard returns the salute, and joins Beryl.

[McNum]

"Imperial weapons rarely find their way this far south. Perhaps that one was meant for you," the fletcher says. "Well, you have yourself a fine evening and good hunting to you."
Beryl can't help but laugh a little at that. "Heh, you're not the first to say something like that to me today. But you have a nice evening, too!"

Beryl leaves the store and runs into...

Crossguard returns the salute, and joins Beryl.
"Oh, hey, Cross! Look what I got!" Beryl says as she points to the crystal longbow. "I can't believe they actually had one! I mean, I could totally use a wooden local one, but they had a genuine Crystal Empire import, like the ones I trained with!"

Beryl realizes that she's actually fanfilly-ing over a weapon and decides to reel it in to not look like some deranged assassin. "Way too late, there..."

"So, um, anyway... You're meeting with Dame Epee tomorrow, right? Can I come along again? I have so many questions about this thing. Not the bow, the dream-vision-paladin thing. Which is actually why I bought the bow..." Beryl slows down a it. "I have been too deep in thought today, just got me even more confused. So many questions, so few answers..."

[Jurai]

Beryl can't help but laugh a little at that. "Heh, you're not the first to say something like that to me today. But you have a nice evening, too!"

Beryl leaves the store and runs into...

"Oh, hey, Cross! Look what I got!" Beryl says as she points to the crystal longbow. "I can't believe they actually had one! I mean, I could totally use a wooden local one, but they had a genuine Crystal Empire import, like the ones I trained with!"

Beryl realizes that she's actually fanfilly-ing over a weapon and decides to reel it in to not look like some deranged assassin. "Way too late, there..."

"So, um, anyway... You're meeting with Dame Epee tomorrow, right? Can I come along again? I have so many questions about this thing. Not the bow, the dream-vision-paladin thing. Which is actually why I bought the bow..." Beryl slows down a it. "I have been too deep in thought today, just got me even more confused. So many questions, so few answers..."

Crossguard nods. "Of course, Beryl. Your bow is most impressive. Most crystal I've seen isn't flexible enough for a bow, though. Is there a secret technique for that used in the Crystal Empire?" She smiles. "In fact, I'm about to inquire for some Javelins myself. Though my magic can work at range, I'd like something else to back it up."

[McNum]

Crossguard nods. "Of course, Beryl. Your bow is most impressive. Most crystal I've seen isn't flexible enough for a bow, though. Is there a secret technique for that used in the Crystal Empire?" She smiles. "In fact, I'm about to inquire for some Javelins myself. Though my magic can work at range, I'd like something else to back it up."
"It's something about using different kinds of crystals... I don't really know the details, I think it might be crystallized wood, or something like that. Our weaponsmiths only really tell what we need to know to use them. They like their secrets."

[One Tin Soldier]

Ivy seems quite enamored with the part about lifting curses and fighting elementals, but that cheer gets uncomfortable on the subject of dead bodies. She look curious on the subject of giant spiders. "Sounds like it was an exciting adventure. I'm sorry that I missed it."



"Uh... my previous life before Master Librarian took me in. It was... *ahem* less lawful. But it involved making good disguises so... kinda okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to judge," Midnight says. He looks through the chest, examining the contents. "So what then, your plan is to dress Ace up in a disguise?"

[DigoDragon]

"In fact, I'm about to inquire for some Javelins myself. Though my magic can work at range, I'd like something else to back it up."

Crossguard can see a blacksmith nearby that carries the kind of weapon she's looking for. He's still open for a bit longer!



"It's something about using different kinds of crystals... I don't really know the details, I think it might be crystallized wood, or something like that. Our weaponsmiths only really tell what we need to know to use them. They like their secrets."

"I bet you'll put it through its paces tonight."



"So what then, your plan is to dress Ace up in a disguise?"

"I can dress any of you up," Ivy says. "If the Brotherhood does know what you all look like, you might want to not look like yourself. They already kidnapped Ace once. Wouldn't want them making a second attempt on his cute face, you know?" Ivy winks at Ace.

Ace responds by breaking eye contact and blushing ever so slightly.

[Beacon of Chaos]

"Magic... runs a little in my family. My mother mostly, lots of little illusion tricks. My oldest brother knows how to make fire and one sister can do a bit of prestidigitation," Ace recalls. "My siblings and I pick up our skills from traveling mages. It comes natural for my mother. I'm the first to actually enroll in a college to study it full time."
Frost smiles as he listens to Ace talk, while also copying down notes from the spellbook. He makes a mental note to buy a proper book of his own later. "Ahh, I see. Possibly your mother has some sorcerer blood?"


Ivy seems quite enamored with the part about lifting curses and fighting elementals, but that cheer gets uncomfortable on the subject of dead bodies. She look curious on the subject of giant spiders. "Sounds like it was an exciting adventure. I'm sorry that I missed it."

"Uh... my previous life before Master Librarian took me in. It was... *ahem* less lawful. But it involved making good disguises so... kinda okay?"
Frost smirks at her. "Don't worry. We won't tell. So, what would you recommend?"


"I can dress any of you up," Ivy says. "If the Brotherhood does know what you all look like, you might want to not look like yourself. They already kidnapped Ace once. Wouldn't want them making a second attempt on his cute face, you know?" Ivy winks at Ace.

Ace responds by breaking eye contact and blushing ever so slightly.
Frost resists the urge to go "Awwwww."

[Jurai]

Crossguard can see a blacksmith nearby that carries the kind of weapon she's looking for. He's still open for a bit longer!




"I bet you'll put it through its paces tonight."




"I can dress any of you up," Ivy says. "If the Brotherhood does know what you all look like, you might want to not look like yourself. They already kidnapped Ace once. Wouldn't want them making a second attempt on his cute face, you know?" Ivy winks at Ace.

Ace responds by breaking eye contact and blushing ever so slightly.

Crossguard trots in. "Greetings, sir. I am Crossguard Platine. I seek a Javelin of excellent craft. One which could be used to perhaps channel my wrath."

[DigoDragon]

Frost smiles as he listens to Ace talk, while also copying down notes from the spellbook. He makes a mental note to buy a proper book of his own later. "Ahh, I see. Possibly your mother has some sorcerer blood?"

"Possibly? I never asked about it," Ace says. "She's not the easiest one to talk to, but... maybe next time I visit home."



Frost smirks at her. "Don't worry. We won't tell. So, what would you recommend?"

Frost resists the urge to go "Awwwww."

"I'm going to look up some things in the private library," Ace states as he heads for the stairs. "Any of the other students around, Ivy?"

Ivy shrugs, going back to her costume collection. "Triss probably asleep and Otto is upstairs making dinner or something. Everyone else is out for the night." After Ace slips away up the stairs, Ivy tosses Frost some clothes. "I dunno what to recommend. I mean, you're going to meet up with... what again? Brotherhood? I dunno what assassins go for in fashion. You want to dress in all black? I got all black."



Crossguard trots in. "Greetings, sir. I am Crossguard Platine. I seek a Javelin of excellent craft. One which could be used to perhaps channel my wrath."

"Yes, over here is a fine collection. Iron shaft pilums, should get you good distance," the smith says.

[Jurai]

Crossguard looks one over, hefts it with her Ponykinesis.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit mutters a prayer for Guidance under his breath, then waves at the zebra mare in a friendly manner, hoping to catch her attention. He has no idea how she'd react to him; best let her instigate dialogue, and let him get a read on her.

[roll0]+[roll1] Insight

[DigoDragon]

Crossguard looks one over, hefts it with her Ponykinesis.

The weight feels pretty balanced; decently made.

"It's five silver for one of my javelins," the smith says.


Spirit mutters a prayer for Guidance under his breath, then waves at the zebra mare in a friendly manner, hoping to catch her attention. He has no idea how she'd react to him; best let her instigate dialogue, and let him get a read on her.

[roll0]+[roll1] Insight

The mare finishes counting her purse and puts it away before walking over to Spirit. Her body language reads that she is disinterested and a little tired. She does look up and see the giant spider, but it seems to just illicit an eyeball roll out of her.

"Can I help you with something? Directions? Pest control?" she asks.

[Jurai]

The weight feels pretty balanced; decently made.

"It's five silver for one of my javelins," the smith says.



The mare finishes counting her purse and puts it away before walking over to Spirit. Her body language reads that she is disinterested and a little tired. She does look up and see the giant spider, but it seems to just illicit an eyeball roll out of her.

"Can I help you with something? Directions? Pest control?" she asks.

Crossguard smiles and hands him one gold coin. "Keep the change."

[Fable Wright]

"Can I help you with something? Directions? Pest control?" she asks.

Spirit smiles and shakes his head. "No, no, she's just traveling with me. Reminds me of home. I'm... new to this general area, and I haven't seen many kinsfolk here I could talk to. It seems like a nice place, but I've no idea what its secrets are. Is there a hidden treasure of a restaurant stashed somewhere? A venom bar for those who miss the taste of home? A sports district that no one has told me of?

"Or perhaps more importantly, what kind of hobbies do ponies have in this town? I've seen trading tales by the fire, a very cutthroat coin collector community, and fishing has to be popular around these parts. Anything more you can tell me about them?" Spirit watches very closely how she reacts to mentioning the 'cutthroat coin collectors.' She's almost certainly involved, but it's how she takes the hint that matters.

[DigoDragon]

Crossguard smiles and hands him one gold coin. "Keep the change."

"Oh, thank you! Many blessings to you, generous knight!" Crossguard's generosity had made the smith's night.



"...a very cutthroat coin collector community..."

Spirit watches very closely how she reacts to mentioning the 'cutthroat coin collectors.' She's almost certainly involved, but it's how she takes the hint that matters.

The zebra mare doesn't react much to the 'cutthroat coin collectors' remark. A little on the annoyed side. After Spirit finishes his questioning, she points to various directions. "Well, you won't find comforts of 'home' if you're a tribal. Might wanna head on the road south and try the Henry clan. If you're just looking for good booze, you're already here. There's a wrestling stadium in the fancier northern district, but otherwise you'll find the usual shady stuff ponies do in any seedy bar; gambling, knife throwing, trying to out-drink one another..." She gives a little shrug, but after a quick glance around, she does lean in closer to whisper.

"If you're looking to collect coins, I hear the ones to die for are at the Dale East Sea Company, downtown. After hours, ask for Golden Nugget."

[Fable Wright]

Spirit nods slowly. "I see... thank you very much for your time." He gets up, stretches, then heads over to the bartender, leaving behind a silver piece to thank the zebra mare. Even if she had won a big purse, showing what gratitude he could afford didn't hurt.

When he reaches the bartender, he'll wave and ask if the room the party rented last time was available. He could feel his coin purse crying under the strain of lending out to Ace and picking up the tab two nights in a row, but Shelia did insist on nesting for the night after the hat, and it seemed... unwise to leave her unattended in the common room. Just a bit.

Should he procure the room, or a similar one, he'll lead Sheila inside while ritually casting Speak With Animals. Once inside, he'll light the fireplace and explain the situation. "You are free to nest here for the night, good Lady. I've still business to complete after sundown, and you are free to stay here or follow me when that happens, whichever you prefer. Here, it is warm and free from wind, but I'd ask that you not leave this room nor spin a web nor eat the ponies that come into this room. If you go with me, there is a chance that you may stockpile some food for later, though you'd have only my spellery to keep you warm."


[roll0]+[roll1] History. Does Spirit know anything about this company, and/or when it's likely to close for the night? Or if it coincidentally happens to close around 10:30 and he spotted it just next to the Rusty Anchor, last time Trace dragged him there?

[McNum]

Beryl smiles at Crossguard's generosity. Now there's a virtue that Beryl will have to work on, stupid business teachings...

As they leave, Beryl starts... "I wonder if I got enough arrows... Hrm, I still prefer the sword, I think." She then sheepishly adds "So, what are we doing? I have not paid much attention since we left Koldstone..."

[One Tin Soldier]

"So... How did you go from less than lawful to apprentice wizard? The Master Librarian doesn't seem like the type to take ponies in out of charity."

[DigoDragon]

"So... How did you go from less than lawful to apprentice wizard? The Master Librarian doesn't seem like the type to take ponies in out of charity."

"Well, happened one night when I broke into this place," Ivy explains. "I figured out how to get past her wards and that seemed to impress her. So, she gave me the choice of applying as an apprentice or being turned into a newt. You can probably guess which path I took."



As they leave, Beryl starts... "I wonder if I got enough arrows... Hrm, I still prefer the sword, I think." She then sheepishly adds "So, what are we doing? I have not paid much attention since we left Koldstone..."

Beryl will remember that the Master Librarian gave the party free reign to her public library section and that Midnight n Frost went there with Ace.



Should he procure the room, or a similar one, he'll lead Sheila inside while ritually casting Speak With Animals. Once inside, he'll light the fireplace and explain the situation. "You are free to nest here for the night, good Lady. I've still business to complete after sundown, and you are free to stay here or follow me when that happens, whichever you prefer. Here, it is warm and free from wind, but I'd ask that you not leave this room nor spin a web nor eat the ponies that come into this room. If you go with me, there is a chance that you may stockpile some food for later, though you'd have only my spellery to keep you warm."


[roll0]+[roll1] History. Does Spirit know anything about this company, and/or when it's likely to close for the night? Or if it coincidentally happens to close around 10:30 and he spotted it just next to the Rusty Anchor, last time Trace dragged him there?

The room was available and so procured. Sheila made herself comfortable hanging from the ceiling. As best a giant spider could in any case. "Nesting without web? Shall I move the moon for you as well? ...fine, I'll not web or eat any half-walkers."

It is the largest shipping company in the Fetloch area, and perhaps among the top five mercantile powers of the eastern seaboard. Founded nearly three-quarters of a century ago with just two ships sailing across the sea to griffon lands, it now comprises at least two dozen registered ships and is solely run by the Dale pegasus family. They have always controlled a majority of company shares. The family is known for being shrewd negotiators and using their influence to wiggle out of things like taxes and import restrictions (but then, most large shipping companies are accused of that and yet everyone still buys from these big companies). Their prices are competitive so no one seems to complain too loudly (unless you're a competitor). The Dale family is known to be friends with the Trent family, and because of that one of the company's biggest (and most lucrative) exports is Sweet Carrots.

The company is currently run by the brothers Kirk and Berwick, inheriting the reins from their father Lord Glen Dale (retired about five years ago to Oldenburg). Interestingly, Glen Dale inherited control of the company some 26ish years ago when his older sister Sunny Dale was murdered. It was assumed Sunny was the target of a robbery (as she made herself quite wealthy when she controlled the company by "borrowing" from its own capital) and the heist went wrong. Her only daughter, Penny Dale, had no interest in the company and left the family lime light, taking to traveling among caravans in the area, but ultimately fell into obscurity.

The DESC is self-insured, with their own bank headquartered in Oldenburg (and with smaller branches in Arendale and Basuto). They also insure a few smaller caravan companies and local businesses that have come under their wing (haha see what I did there?), so the company is in no danger of going away any time soon. Of the two brothers, Kirk (the older) is the more popular and charismatic one, and hence generally the face of the company.

[Beacon of Chaos]

"Possibly? I never asked about it," Ace says. "She's not the easiest one to talk to, but... maybe next time I visit home."
Frost nods without saying anything. He wonders what his own mother is like. Would she be hard to talk to? Would she have magic of her own? Would... would she even recognise him? And his father... would he be kind or rough? Strong or smart or both or neither?

All the more reason to find them.

(OOC: I'm ready to finish this bit up if you are)



After Ace slips away up the stairs, Ivy tosses Frost some clothes. "I dunno what to recommend. I mean, you're going to meet up with... what again? Brotherhood? I dunno what assassins go for in fashion. You want to dress in all black? I got all black."
"Black is probably the safest option. Maybe with something to cover some of my face up too."

[Jurai]

Beryl smiles at Crossguard's generosity. Now there's a virtue that Beryl will have to work on, stupid business teachings...

As they leave, Beryl starts... "I wonder if I got enough arrows... Hrm, I still prefer the sword, I think." She then sheepishly adds "So, what are we doing? I have not paid much attention since we left Koldstone..."

"Spirit is currently working on getting a room for his new companion and talking with that zebra mare from last time. Midnight, Frost, and Ace went to the Master Librarian's library to concoct a disguise for a meeting."

[McNum]

"Spirit is currently working on getting a room for his new companion and talking with that zebra mare from last time. Midnight, Frost, and Ace went to the Master Librarian's library to concoct a disguise for a meeting."
"Oh right. Sorry, my mind has been kind of running over with that..." Beryl catches herself not really wanting to say the name out loud in case she's somepony's archenemy, "...that dream. Maybe the library has a book on ancient Paladins? I just need to see that name one place outside my head... just so I know it's real."

"I mean, I'm sure one of your people might know, but that's tomorrow. Might as well check what I can today."

[Jurai]

"Agreed. Research is a better plan than recklessness, given no immediate pressure."

[DigoDragon]

"Black is probably the safest option. Maybe with something to cover some of my face up too."

Ivy dresses Frost in black robes with a matching hood. A splash of magic on his face changes his fur color to look more like a rustic brown. She holds up a mirror. "So... what do you think? The necromancer look is you. I'll have to reapply the illusion part before you make the meeting, but with this you'll be able to fool your own mother."



"Maybe the library has a book on ancient Paladins? I just need to see that name one place outside my head... just so I know it's real."

"Agreed. Research is a better plan than recklessness, given no immediate pressure."

Assuming the two paladins head to the mage college to make use of the library, they will be able to see Midnight, Ivy, and some kind of necromancer-looking stallion there in the lobby/livingroom area.

[Jurai]

Crossguard trots up. "Greetings, Ivy, Midnight, strange necromancer I couldn't possibly know." She smiles.

[McNum]

"Hi everypony." Beryl adds. "...is that you, Frost? That is a pretty impressive costume!"

"...you're thinking of getting a hero outfit done, aren't you?" Beryl dismisses the voice that was all too on point. No silly outfits now.

Beryl decides to ask Ivy. "Do you have any books about ancient times? I'm looking for anything I can about a really old Paladin called 'Heliodor of the Twelve Peers' who might be one of the first Paladins, ever. Or entirely made up by me. I need to check which."

Perception: That IS Frostbite, right? [roll0]

[Beacon of Chaos]

Ivy dresses Frost in black robes with a matching hood. A splash of magic on his face changes his fur color to look more like a rustic brown. She holds up a mirror. "So... what do you think? The necromancer look is you. I'll have to reapply the illusion part before you make the meeting, but with this you'll be able to fool your own mother."
Frosts face hardens. "...That..." he begins, unsure of how to respond to Ivy's statement. Luckily, a pair of familiar faces walk in to distract him.


Crossguard trots up. "Greetings, Ivy, Midnight, strange necromancer I couldn't possibly know." She smiles.

"Hi everypony." Beryl adds. "...is that you, Frost? That is a pretty impressive costume!"
Frost decides to have a little fun to take his mind of things. He turns and in his best 'evil' voice shouts "Nay! 'tis I, uh, bloodcloak the... wretched! Tremble before my fearsome gaze, muhahaha!"

[DigoDragon]

Frosts face hardens. "...That..." he begins, unsure of how to respond to Ivy's statement.

Ivy soon catches on to her faux pas and slowly covers her face with embarrassment.


Crossguard trots up. "Greetings, Ivy, Midnight, strange necromancer I couldn't possibly know." She smiles.

"Hi everypony." Beryl adds. "...is that you, Frost? That is a pretty impressive costume!"

Frost decides to have a little fun to take his mind of things. He turns and in his best 'evil' voice shouts "Nay! 'tis I, uh, bloodcloak the... wretched! Tremble before my fearsome gaze, muhahaha!"

Praise Solaria for small favors in distraction!



Beryl decides to ask Ivy. "Do you have any books about ancient times? I'm looking for anything I can about a really old Paladin called 'Heliodor of the Twelve Peers' who might be one of the first Paladins, ever. Or entirely made up by me. I need to check which."

Perception: That IS Frostbite, right? [10]

Ivy points to the library. "History section is on the far left. Older historical books will be on the top shelves."

Perception: Given the hammy performance, and gazing into Bloodcloak's eyes, Beryl is starting to think that this is probably Frost.

[McNum]

Frost decides to have a little fun to take his mind of things. He turns and in his best 'evil' voice shouts "Nay! 'tis I, uh, bloodcloak the... wretched! Tremble before my fearsome gaze, muhahaha!"
Beryl can't help but laugh a little. "The costume is impressive, but your acting needs work!" Beryl thinks for a moment "...you need to find out what you disguise wants. Why are 'you' there? That should help stay in character."


Ivy points to the library. "History section is on the far left. Older historical books will be on the top shelves."
"Thank you, Ivy." Beryl politely replies.

As she begins looking at the books, she asks a question inward. She has no idea exactly what book she's looking for, but maybe the foal could go ding when something looks interesting?

Knowledge (Heliodor): Do any of these books or topics look familiar? [roll0]

[One Tin Soldier]

"What do ponies even join the Brotherhood for? 'Come with us, you'll get to unlive as a vampire forever! Or until we use you as hero bait. So about two weeks.'"

[DigoDragon]

As she begins looking at the books, she asks a question inward. She has no idea exactly what book she's looking for, but maybe the foal could go ding when something looks interesting?

Knowledge (Heliodor): Do any of these books or topics look familiar? [5]

Beryl finds just dry textbook info. Nothing here related to Heliodor.



"What do ponies even join the Brotherhood for? 'Come with us, you'll get to unlive as a vampire forever! Or until we use you as hero bait. So about two weeks.'"

Ivy shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe those that join are just drifters who want to cause trouble for fun?"

[Jurai]

Crossguard joins Beryl, using her Ponykinesis to grab books, and starts researching herself.

[roll0]+2

Another Investigation roll to aid Beryl in her search.

[DigoDragon]

Crossguard joins Beryl, using her Ponykinesis to grab books, and starts researching herself.
[B]+2

Another Investigation roll to aid Beryl in her search.

Unfortunately, it seems like there simply isn't any information on Heliodor to be found in this collection.

[McNum]

Beryl doesn't look as disappointed as you'd think, but still... "I didn't really expect to find much, I've never been good at book research. Thanks for the help Cross, but it looks like we're going to need to ask somepony else."

"Come on, let's get back to watching Frostbite play dress-up. He's going to meet up with one of the badguys in disguise, isn't he? Can we help with that, or can vampire spawns feel us just as much as we can feel them? I really don't want to let him get ambushed and taken."

[Beacon of Chaos]

Beryl can't help but laugh a little. "The costume is impressive, but your acting needs work!" Beryl thinks for a moment "...you need to find out what you disguise wants. Why are 'you' there? That should help stay in character."
Frost's brow furrows at this. "I... Hm. I hadn't actually thought about it. I've never really... acted before."

[DigoDragon]

"Come on, let's get back to watching Frostbite play dress-up. He's going to meet up with one of the badguys in disguise, isn't he? Can we help with that, or can vampire spawns feel us just as much as we can feel them? I really don't want to let him get ambushed and taken."

Frost's brow furrows at this. "I... Hm. I hadn't actually thought about it. I've never really... acted before."

"Well, you're just meeting a pony. I don't think you need to totally put on a new persona," Ivy explains. "Just don't mention anyone's name here and keep your voice fairly even-toned."

[Fable Wright]

Spirit waits in the room with his arachnid companion, waiting for time to pass until the shipping company would close. In that time, he asks his companion about herself. What does she do, when not spinning webs or feeding, if anything? What was her preferred king of prey, or web pattern? He'd prefer to know something about her, as he really didn't get to know his part-time alligator properly.

[Jurai]

Crossguard nods. "Don't let slip your intentions or true origins, Frost. If you need help, send Cherub to get us."

[DigoDragon]

Spirit waits in the room with his arachnid companion, waiting for time to pass until the shipping company would close. In that time, he asks his companion about herself. What does she do, when not spinning webs or feeding, if anything? What was her preferred king of prey, or web pattern? He'd prefer to know something about her, as he really didn't get to know his part-time alligator properly.

The spider world, it turns out, doesn't have a concept of 'recreation'. You spin webs, you await prey, you eat. Repeat. That is the nature of things, and why half-walkers are so strange with concepts of having fun and hobbies. Those are words that Sheila has no basis of comparison to understand them.

She does have a fondness for the fat half-walkers, which seem to be what you'd call a cow. Extremely juicy. The tree-climbing rodents are easy snacks for her to sip on, like the bushy-tailed squawkers and the naked-tail hissers. The jumping long-eared rodents are a sweet-tasting morsel, but they don't climb trees so they're harder to catch. Flying feathery rodents are alright, if a bit bland. Web patterns? Well, that Sheila can go on about if she wanted to. The pattern used is what works best on the chosen spot. Your web cannot stand out, because then your prey will notice it and go around. It must blend with the environment and flow with the patterns of the surroundings.

Before you know it, it's past 8pm and the shipping company hours should be closed now.



Crossguard nods. "Don't let slip your intentions or true origins, Frost. If you need help, send Cherub to get us."

"Or just like... yell for help. I'm sure the Brotherhood would leave if you cause a scene," Ivy adds.

[Jurai]

"Or just like... yell for help. I'm sure the Brotherhood would leave if you cause a scene," Ivy adds.

Crossguard smirks. "The ones we've dealt with liked to cause scenes themselves, Ivy. I would not be surprised if they attacked anyway."

[Beacon of Chaos]

"Well, you're just meeting a pony. I don't think you need to totally put on a new persona," Ivy explains. "Just don't mention anyone's name here and keep your voice fairly even-toned."

Crossguard nods. "Don't let slip your intentions or true origins, Frost. If you need help, send Cherub to get us."
Frost nods as he comtemplates this advice. "Seems simple enough. And Cherub can make a sound like... oh let's say three loud taps as a warning."


"Or just like... yell for help. I'm sure the Brotherhood would leave if you cause a scene," Ivy adds.
"Possibly. We should be prepared in case they don't, though."

[McNum]

Frost nods as he comtemplates this advice. "Seems simple enough. And Cherub can make a sound like... oh let's say three loud taps as a warning."

"Possibly. We should be prepared in case they don't, though."
Beryl is watching the conversation, not really having much to add when suddenly her inner foal chimes in. "You can speak Mouse, you know. You DID know that, right?"

Beryl snaps out of it and says out loud "I can what?!" And then she feels thoroughly embarrassed as she just realized she took an internal conversation out loud.

"Um... Sorry! I just got told that I can speak Mouse. Seems like that's part of the Heliodor deal. So, Cherub could just yell 'Help!' or whatever mice say and I should know it." Beryl looks like she's listening to another voice again "...but I really need to focus to do it."

[DigoDragon]

Crossguard smirks. "The ones we've dealt with liked to cause scenes themselves, Ivy. I would not be surprised if they attacked anyway."

"Oh, I didn't know," Ivy replies. "I guess be prepared for a fight with crazies. Maybe surround the area you're meeting at?"


Frost nods as he comtemplates this advice. "Seems simple enough. And Cherub can make a sound like... oh let's say three loud taps as a warning."

"I'll try to tap loudly, but I don't know how well they'll hear me," Cherub mentally conveys.


"Um... Sorry! I just got told that I can speak Mouse. Seems like that's part of the Heliodor deal. So, Cherub could just yell 'Help!' or whatever mice say and I should know it." Beryl looks like she's listening to another voice again "...but I really need to focus to do it."

Ivy looks from Beryl to Cherub, then back to Beryl then back to Cherub. "Are you a ranger?"

[McNum]

Ivy looks from Beryl to Cherub, then back to Beryl then back to Cherub. "Are you a ranger?"
Beryl very quickly sends a thought to the foal, she needs a shorthand for this, now!

"It's... hard to explain. I'm a Paladin of..." Again she looks like she's listening inwards "...the Ancients?" Beryl looks a little surprised at what she said, but it works! "Yeah. That works. I know it doesn't explain much, I really, really hope the Knights of the Sun or the Temple of Dusk can tell me more."

[One Tin Soldier]

"Yeah, let's hope that they know about this Heliodor stuff. Because if you're hearing a different kind of voice, then I don't think they can help," Midnight says wryly.

[DigoDragon]

"Yeah. That works. I know it doesn't explain much, I really, really hope the Knights of the Sun or the Temple of Dusk can tell me more."

"Yeah, let's hope that they know about this Heliodor stuff. Because if you're hearing a different kind of voice, then I don't think they can help," Midnight says wryly.

Ivy decides not to push more questions and instead hands out more outfits for everyone to try on.

[Jurai]

Ivy decides not to push more questions and instead hands out more outfits for everyone to try on.

"These are very... disguise-y. Who makes these for you?" Crossguard says, slipping into some robes.

[DigoDragon]

"These are very... disguise-y. Who makes these for you?" Crossguard says, slipping into some robes.

"I uh, made most of them. The rest I bought. Legally. With money." Ivy answers albeit defensively.

[Jurai]

"I uh, made most of them. The rest I bought. Legally. With money." Ivy answers albeit defensively.

"Apologies, I did not mean to offend. I'm more experienced in smithing and forgework than with textiles and seamwork."

[McNum]

Beryl looks over the disguises. "These are pretty good." She pauses for a bit "It's a little hard from somepony like me to disguise myself. I'm pink and shiny, it's kind of a giveaway when I'm the only pink Crystal Pony in town. There's also this armor..." she says and rattles the scales "...not built for silent running."

She asks into the room. "Again, I'm sorry if this has already been talked about today, but what do we want out of this meeting? They're the bad guys, but they have something we want. What can we offer them if it comes down to bartering?" A brief realization shows on her face and she adds "The 100 gold coins in my coat here are yours to bargain with if they want money, Frost. I can't think of anything I'd rather spend that on than helping with this. But if they ask for a favor, how far are we willing to go? I'm not going to hurt somepony for them... but if they need a message delivered, or one of them has a sweet tooth for cakes, I don't see any harm in helping them... if it means helping out Frost."

[DigoDragon]

"Apologies, I did not mean to offend. I'm more experienced in smithing and forgework than with textiles and seamwork."

"It's okay," Ivy says. "I just get a bit nervous around authority. Old experiences."



She asks into the room. "Again, I'm sorry if this has already been talked about today, but what do we want out of this meeting? They're the bad guys, but they have something we want. What can we offer them if it comes down to bartering?" A brief realization shows on her face and she adds "The 100 gold coins in my coat here are yours to bargain with if they want money, Frost. I can't think of anything I'd rather spend that on than helping with this. But if they ask for a favor, how far are we willing to go? I'm not going to hurt somepony for them... but if they need a message delivered, or one of them has a sweet tooth for cakes, I don't see any harm in helping them... if it means helping out Frost."

Ivy only shrugs, as she's had no practical experience dealing with the Brotherhood.

[Beacon of Chaos]

"Um... Sorry! I just got told that I can speak Mouse. Seems like that's part of the Heliodor deal. So, Cherub could just yell 'Help!' or whatever mice say and I should know it." Beryl looks like she's listening to another voice again "...but I really need to focus to do it."
"Well... that would be easier. Maybe some of Spirit's skills are rubbing off on you." Frost mentally relays this information to Cherub.


She asks into the room. "Again, I'm sorry if this has already been talked about today, but what do we want out of this meeting? They're the bad guys, but they have something we want. What can we offer them if it comes down to bartering?" A brief realization shows on her face and she adds "The 100 gold coins in my coat here are yours to bargain with if they want money, Frost. I can't think of anything I'd rather spend that on than helping with this. But if they ask for a favor, how far are we willing to go? I'm not going to hurt somepony for them... but if they need a message delivered, or one of them has a sweet tooth for cakes, I don't see any harm in helping them... if it means helping out Frost."
"Thanks for the offer, Beryl, but I doubt these guys want money and even if they did, they'd probably just steal it. I think the best bet is to offer services. I'm a mage so I can offer some spell casting. I can tell them that I work for a powerful mage too. That should get their interest."

[McNum]

"Yeah, maybe we should ask what we can do that they can't. Without having to hurt anypony. Are there places we can go, or ponies we can deliver a message to that they can't? Other than the Knights of the Sun and here. I don't think anypony there would want to talk to them, anyway."

[DigoDragon]

Dale East Sea Company, 8:09 pm

The offices have closed for the night and are bolted tight, but Spirit can see that round the back a few ponies sneak in through a wooden door with an eye-slit, uttering the password 'Golden Nugget' for entry. They are all well-dressed ponies, sparing no expense on the fine attire and jewelry they wear.



Order of the Circle Mage College, Basuto Chapter, 8:09 pm

There is a sudden loud 'bang!' of wood splintering from the main entrance. The front door, which is reinforced with iron slats, has been forcefully kicked open. The runes that normally protect the entry way do not activate, and three cloaked figures enter. They dress in deep midnight blue hooded-cloaks covering their eyes, with black and purple trim clothing. The lead earth pony, a heavy-set muscular stallion with a healthy red coat and no discernible mane, holds up a scroll.

"You are foolish to think you can 'want in' on the Brotherhood, as if we are some foppish club. However, you have proven yourselves crafty, and for that, we offer the one named Frostbite a trade. In this scroll is written the whereabouts of his parents. They are safe, for now. We will trade two lives for one, if he is interested..." the leader says with a grin.

The other two ponies are a shapely mare unicorn (white coat with a blonde mane) and a gaunt pale stallion pegasus (light blue coat with dark indigo mane). They only stand there and watch.

Ivy on the other hoof, dives into hiding behind a love seat, fear in her eyes.

[Beacon of Chaos]

"You are foolish to think you can 'want in' on the Brotherhood, as if we are some foppish club. However, you have proven yourselves crafty, and for that, we offer the one named Frostbite a trade. In this scroll is written the whereabouts of his parents. They are safe, for now. We will trade two lives for one, if he is interested..." the leader says with a grin.
Frost jumps as the brotherhood enters. How could they have found them? A spy? Oh well, at least he didn't have to go through with that whole acting business. This made things much simpler. In fact, maybe it could be simpler still?

"Huh. So you found us. Fine. I suppose we could do that. Or, how about you," he waves his hoof in an elaborate fashion, pointing loosely at two of the ponies. "[TELL ME WHERE FROSTBITE'S PARENTS ARE AND THEN LEAVE]. That way, no vampony needs to get dusted, yeah?"

[THIS] is a suggestion spell. Spending two spell points to Twin it, hitting the earth pony and unicorn. DC 13 WIS saves.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit smiles at the scene. This was working out better than he could have hoped. A long list of rich patrons working for the Brotherhood, and having a secret meeting? He utters a word to erase his presence, then heads to hide at an angle where he can watch and memorize the face of each patron as they enter. When it seems that the line is gone, he'll enter, uttering 'Golden Nugget' as the others, and taking in the full scene in front of him.

[One Tin Soldier]

Midnight whirls toward the splintering door, sword out before he even thinks about it. He restrains himself from launching himself at them, if only barely.

"I don't like this," he mutters to Beryl, not taking his eyes off of the three ponies.

[McNum]

Beryl also snaps to attention, turning around to look at the new arrivals. She had expected trouble, just not... yet. She opens her senses just to check if they're pony or vampire, but otherwise remains on alert. Frostbite's idea is rather blunt, but if it works...

She mutters back to Midnight "...let's try not to start a fight here."

[Divine Sense]

Beryl also makes a mental note to kick Spirit in the shin for this.

[DigoDragon]

"Huh. So you found us. Fine. I suppose we could do that. Or, how about you," he waves his hoof in an elaborate fashion, pointing loosely at two of the ponies. "[TELL ME WHERE FROSTBITE'S PARENTS ARE AND THEN LEAVE]. That way, no vampony needs to get dusted, yeah?"

[THIS] is a suggestion spell. Spending two spell points to Twin it, hitting the earth pony and unicorn. DC 13 WIS saves.

The unicorn gasps, in a way that reads understanding of the trickery.

The Pegaus blurts out, "Frostbites parents haven been sold to the Tanari salt mine." This illicits a hoof in the face by their leader. The pegasus stumbles backward out the doorway and onto his butt.

"I see that you are not interested in a deal. You only had to say so." He puts away the scroll and starts walking out, with the other two following him. The mare seems ill at ease, while the pegasus has a noticeable limp in his face.


Midnight whirls toward the splintering door, sword out before he even thinks about it. He restrains himself from launching himself at them, if only barely.
"I don't like this," he mutters to Beryl, not taking his eyes off of the three ponies.

Beryl also snaps to attention, turning around to look at the new arrivals. She had expected trouble, just not... yet. She opens her senses just to check if they're pony or vampire, but otherwise remains on alert. Frostbite's idea is rather blunt, but if it works...

She mutters back to Midnight "...let's try not to start a fight here."
[Divine Sense]

Strangely, none of the three intruders ping anything like many previous Brotherhood members; Not undead, not demonic.



Spirit smiles at the scene. This was working out better than he could have hoped. A long list of rich patrons working for the Brotherhood, and having a secret meeting? He utters a word to erase his presence, then heads to hide at an angle where he can watch and memorize the face of each patron as they enter. When it seems that the line is gone, he'll enter, uttering 'Golden Nugget' as the others, and taking in the full scene in front of him.

It was a well-furnished room, of decent size. To one side, several ponies gathered around a glass case full of unusual coins. They quietly bid and counter-bid for them. To the other side is a poker game, where the ponies bet actual money and discuss various gossip among the big businesses around Fetloch. Right now the topic is on speculation behind the real reasons that Princess solaria is coming to Arendale for the annual festival. It's a first.

[McNum]

Beryl wonders if she should... it's stupid and she knows it.

"...you're welcome for the help in Koldstone, by the way. Wiping out a whole town tends to get ponies more scary than a bunch of amateurs interested. But I'm not going to waste your time with heroic outbursts, you probably heard all of that before. So instead, I'll just wish you a good night."

Beryl can feel the foal facehoofing so hard in her mind. This was probably NOT what Heliodor would do.

She ignores that and gives a courteous nod. Being polite is free, after all.

[Fable Wright]

Spirit happily clicks his mandibles together as he spiders up to the top of the room, unseen, observing the coins, the size of the bids, and the gossip. What were the reasons ponies were speculating about Solaria's visit? What did the coins look like? Ancient? Recent with odd casts? Depictions of mythological figures like headless horses? There's a chance that this truly was unrelated to the brotherhood and that the secrecy was to keep out thieves in this room of the rich, in which case, an understanding of which coins were valuables to investors could pay off rather well. The coins the party looted from the brotherhood would have to be double checked, at least.

Or these could be sorcerous coins or related to the brotherhood, in which case, observation would pay off well.

[roll0] Arcana: Anything strange about these coins?
[roll1] History: Do these coins seem to have notable histories?
[roll2] History: Does Spirit recognize some figures on these coins?

[DigoDragon]

it's stupid and she knows it.

"Do it, filly!"


"...you're welcome for the help in Koldstone, by the way. Wiping out a whole town tends to get ponies more scary than a bunch of amateurs interested. But I'm not going to waste your time with heroic outbursts, you probably heard all of that before. So instead, I'll just wish you a good night."

This act of kindness seems to have thrown the leader off his stride a step. He stops... doesn't turn around... and continues walking. The other two follow quietly as they head for the shadows of an alley.


Or these could be sorcerous coins or related to the brotherhood, in which case, observation would pay off well.

[XXII] Arcana: Anything strange about these coins?
[VI] History: Do these coins seem to have notable histories?
[XXI] History: Does Spirit recognize some figures on these coins?
[roll0]
Spirit does overhear two collectors talking about a particular coin that one saw, but never could properly identify. A coin with the mint of a headless horse on one side. He saw it once on a vagabond out in the docs about... oh two years ago? Never identified it then, but see, lately the rumor on the street is there's a group of assassins popping up in town called the Brotherhood of the Black Stallion. He tapped some contacts and learned of the coin being some kind of 'calling card' of that mystery group. Almost like you're a target of their interest. Or maybe marked for death, because just a few days ago there was a pegasus that died in a nasty fall and someone claims he had seen the coin on that stallion's possession. Coin disappeared shortly after though.

It's best not to get involved any deeper. Seems like one coin we should NOT go collecting, right?


Arcana: No, these coins are all mundane.

History (coins): They probably do. Spirit doesn't seem to recall anything in specific (money isn't something common among druidic circles), but he can overhear a conversation on two very old copper coins from the Griffon empire across the sea. They're stated to be worth 50 gp each.

History (figures): The gold coin with King Leo the VII, grandfather to the current ruler of Terrassa, is recognizable. It had been a long time ago since Spirit remembered seeing such a coin. Very few were made, as the story went that Leo the VII instead attempted to have his kingdom's currency minted through a noble family that Leo was very close to instead of the usual national treasury. However, the seventh ruler was known by the commoners as the "Sword of Virgin Bane". Should be obvious what that nickname entails but to make a long story short (too late) King Leo VII slept with the daughter of his noble friend, bearing an illegitimate son. Now, it was around that time that Princess Solaria attempted to court Leo into a trade agreement. Being the proud and honorable ruler that he was (*cough cough*) Leo swept the daughter and child off into obscurity so he could bed Solaria for that sweet sweet... uh, trade agreement.

The current ruler, Leo the IX, has pretty much removed everything about his grandfather's shameful reign as he could get his hooves on.

[McNum]

"Do it, filly!"

This act of kindness seems to have thrown the leader off his stride a step. He stops... doesn't turn around... and continues walking. The other two follow quietly as they head for the shadows of an alley.

As the trio are leaving and are out of earshot, Beryl's beings smiling a little more than politely and giggles a little "Hee hee, there's more that one way to mess with your enemy. You'd be surprised how often telling a jerk to have a pleasant evening just throws them off. It's hilarious!"

After saying that she bounces over to Frostbite and does the pony equivalent of a playful elbow nudge. "Way to go there, Frost. That's thinking on your hooves! I'm proud of ya!"

[Beacon of Chaos]

The unicorn gasps, in a way that reads understanding of the trickery.

The Pegaus blurts out, "Frostbites parents haven been sold to the Tanari salt mine." This illicits a hoof in the face by their leader. The pegasus stumbles backward out the doorway and onto his butt.

"I see that you are not interested in a deal. You only had to say so." He puts away the scroll and starts walking out, with the other two following him. The mare seems ill at ease, while the pegasus has a noticeable limp in his face.

Frostbite never stops glaring as the brotherhood ponies leave. Something about this exchange felt off, but he really couldn't put his hoof on what it was. Were they really just going to walk away? There was no way his spell hit all of them.

When they are out of sight, he breathes a sigh of relief and wipes the sweat from his brow. "That could have gone much worse."


After saying that she bounces over to Frostbite and does the pony equivalent of a playful elbow nudge. "Way to go there, Frost. That's thinking on your hooves! I'm proud of ya!"
"Ahaha, yeah. Thanks, Beryl. Just seemed like a good way to avoid a fight." he seems lost in though for a moment. He trots up to the window, to see if the brotherhood ponies are still around.

"Anypony know anything about the Tanari salt mine?"