Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience

[Demilich]

What I see, is that Biedde does not necessary even done something: uncle is old and tired because he is.
What Biedde did, is "existing". And since he exist, there is a way, old way, unlit road that such persons may - able to - will take.

 

[Alan975]

>: )
Are people gonna be surprised? I'm not.

Just because a vote isn't explicitly stated to be important does not mean that it won't have repercussions beyond some nebulous change in mentality post game.

This is overstepped of boundaries, it is a betrayal in all but name.
No one touches the family, so now its Time to kill a soldier, and a Colonel I suppose.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

Sadly Velvet doesn't know about it though, so there's no killing to be done. Maybe she needs a Lantern Sacrament to start being able to notice shit. Baldomare! We have need of your teachings!

 

[spiderhellian]

I don't know.

I sorta thought Steppes was going to die, after this scene. Pass away in his sleep.

Should I be upset… he's not? Is this fate literally worse than death?

Going to war with the Edge name seems insane. Unsummoning him, with Neighnea and Windy and two Windigos out there, seems unwise.

Sometimes we have to accept that we can't always win, to the maximum extent, in the way that we would like to.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

For all that we hate on Biedde, without him we would be so very dead. EVEN IF HE WAS HALF-ASSED ABOUT THINGS

 

[Alan975]

Sometimes we have to accept that we can't always win, to the maximum extent, in the way that we would like to.

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All I've been hearing for a good while is that people do not want to do what's necessary, but not now?

Is Family no longer numero uno?

without him we would be so very dead

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that was then and this is now, time to Wolf him

 

[Shaper47]

Hmm, so Wolf Sacrament time then?

 

[ses]

I don't know.

I sorta thought Steppes was going to die, after this scene. Pass away in his sleep.

Should I be upset… he's not? Is this fate literally worse than death?

Going to war with the Edge name seems insane. Unsummoning him, with Neighnea and Windy and two Windigos out there, seems unwise.

Sometimes we have to accept that we can't always win, to the maximum extent, in the way that we would like to.

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You make a good point and frankly I want to see what exactly happens next month. There's every chance this turns out well for Steppes.

We are not taking the fucking Wolf sacrament. Worst case scenario we unsummon Biedde and kill Windy, the only occultist in existence with the slightest chance of making it past the Church in the time left before we win. We do not do another RA and we do not make an active enemy of a Name. That's the surest way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. RAs are context dependent: they can't fail if offered but we have no guarantee of them being freely available as a "kill Name" button.

Remember that ceasing to love our family is very much on the table as the consequence of an RA. It's one of the Gifts that we can get from visiting the Wolf. Going to him for a Sacrament is very very very likely to do that or worse to Velvets personality since the RA is a change specifically to Velvet rather then Mansus remodeling as well as the fact that it crosses the 50% line.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

No. No Wolf Sacrament. And again, Velvet doesn't know about this. So there's no reason for her to suddenly act against Biedde. Mareinette, at least, had a terrible first impression and a constant HIDE YOUR FOALS alarm trying to alert Velvet to Mareinette's more vile acts, but with Biedde? She's got nothing beyond the sense that he could kill everybody in the room at any given time. Which is true, and something he doesn't try to hide.

 

[ses]

But come next turn, uncle Steppes will give you something.

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If this is bits or AP biedde did nothing wrong. I love Steppes and would indeed consider invoking the Wolf and damning Equestria if it really is the only way to protect him but for 200 bits he's dead to me.

 

[Limabot]

Given both that Biedde cannot be befriended and that this lack of friendship is now known to cause issues, I would prefer just to either let his summoning lapse or sacrifice his Wake-form for a ritual (possibly for summoning a Maid or two) and hope that the Lionsmith Name (if they're still around) is more amenable to being befriended.

 

[Fouredged]

I mean, our uncle is dying. He is dying in every way that matters. He is going to pass through the blank door and not come back. What the remaining shape left over after he has passed through the door is put to use doing doesn't really matter?

This is cultist simulator. There is no happy afterlife. A death where every part of you that matters is gone and some leftover hint of you performs some function in reality is about the best you can hope for short of becoming a long.

Steppes is dying. Nothing can stop that. It is inevitable. He has done everything in this life he has time to do save settle his affairs.

He's not even doomed to the fate. It says it right there. If his body keeps moving or if it simply ends is up to Steppes. Just dying is an option he gets to choose.

 

[DelightedOne]

This is cultist simulator. There is no happy afterlife. A death where every part of you that matters is gone and some leftover hint of you performs some function in reality is about the best you can hope for short of becoming a long.

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No, this is Cultist Simulator and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Death is not what it once was, the lack of Voiceless Dead in the Blank Plains proves this, if Biedde wants Velvet's uncle he better be ready for the consequences.

 

[ses]

Look if Biedde just wants to take on Darth Steppes as an apprentice after getting him to forswear his life of crime that's fine by me as long as we get his AP. It's a better outcome than him continuing to be a mafia boss doing Hills dirty work, especially if he's doing our dirty work instead for the greater good. I don't think Biedde is going to kill Steppes, we should at least wait until we hear what favor he wants from us before going off the deep end.

 

[Demilich]

Frankly, if I would be not quete a good man and Colonel Name offered me something like this in my twilight years, I would be sorely tempted to come to him.
Again, everyone who is screaming "lets kill Beidde at all cost, everything else be damned" is slightly overreacting, I feel.
Anyway, what's left in the turn?

 

[ses]

Of the certainty that he has a purpose, as long as he is following his orders. Of the desire, the need, to be the dirty hoof that pushes away the filth.

He saw… what he could be.

And the older stallion, in turn, saw what he once was.

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Remember that Biedde used to be a highwayman as a mortal. And that Steppes saw in Biedde who he could be and that Biedde saw in Steppes who he was. Being Bieddes apprentice certainly has every chance of being good for him! Yeah the Colonel is a stick in the mud but he's one of the few hours who specifically swore a great oath to honor and protect humanity in canon CS. He was one of the first lines of defense against the Worms.

He's certainly a better guy to do the dirty work for than fucking Hills. Especially if we finagle such that Steppes is doing OUR dirty work rather than Bieddes OR hills. Which is very on the table still, we still have next months FO to see where it goes.

 

[Alan975]

everyone who is screaming

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As the one doing the screaming, I'd say that I'm not overreacting enough.

This is toeing the final line as far as I'm concerned.

Someone that -because of ya'lls landslide vote! - Velvet considers to be capital F Family and innocent of the crimes of her father is potentially being subverted to a fate worse than death (eternal indentured service,if Biddie and the Hours refusal to let go are any clue).
Biddie is not a buddy, he is openly against our interestes even!

No. No Wolf Sacrament-

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Not even a little bit?
;(

- And again, Velvet doesn't know about this.

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Oh?
Ohhoho?

So, going by the Cadance vote, you'd be fine with doing the Grail feast now?
Because Velvet was oh so convinced there that Our Lady was such a good friend.
A bit of a stretch, but if you will not allow planing in a direction just because Velvet does not know about it yet, then I feel that you should use her judgment instead of your own.

.
..
...
Velvet does not know about the -theorised- 50% stain limit, so I'd still like to Wolf it out.

 

[ses]

Someone that -because of ya'lls landslide vote! - Velvet considers to be capital F Family and innocent of the crimes of her father is potentially being subverted to a fate worse than death (eternal indentured service,if Biddie and the Hours refusal to let go are any clue).

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Fate worse than death?! That's absolutely crazy talk. We have not seen anything that suggests that yet: Steppes isn't Long material, and even if he was being a Long is in no way a fate worse than death. It's not really any more of a concern than it is for any of our other confidantes with Lore levels. Biedde seeing his criminal past in Steppes and taking him as an apprentice has the most likely outcome of "Steppes becomes a Confidante with Lore levels" and nothing more than that. Maybe Steppes+Biedde starts an Edge cult that isn't a fraction as bad as Softy's Wolf cult we're not doing anything about.

"In all the ways that matter, yes. You will die. But whether your body continues to move, or you fail and break, will be for you to decide." is literally just "You'll be a new person because of character development" with maybe a bit of training from hell for good measure.

Yes it'll probably be messier and worse than just that, but I think it'll be closer to this than to the doomsaying.

 

[DelightedOne]

because of ya'lls landslide vote!

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Why would that vote be what made Biedde interested in Steppes? We actually got confirmation he saw himself in Velvet's uncle and that is why he is doing what he is doing.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

As the one doing the screaming, I'd say that I'm not overreacting enough.

This is toeing the final line as far as I'm concerned.

Someone that -because of ya'lls landslide vote! - Velvet considers to be capital F Family and innocent of the crimes of her father is potentially being subverted to a fate worse than death (eternal indentured service,if Biddie and the Hours refusal to let go are any clue).
Biddie is not a buddy, he is openly against our interestes even!



Not even a little bit?
;(


Oh?
Ohhoho?

So, going by the Cadance vote, you'd be fine with doing the Grail feast now?
Because Velvet was oh so convinced there that Our Lady was such a good friend.
A bit of a stretch, but if you will not allow planing in a direction just because Velvet does not know about it yet, then I feel that you should use her judgment instead of your own.

.
..
...
Velvet does not know about the -theorised- 50% stain limit, so I'd still like to Wolf it out.

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Velvet knows that the Grail Sacrament involves cannibalism. Because Mareinette told her as such. That's why it's in the Sacraments Informational Post. Also Velvet does know IC about the 50% Stain balance thing. If you recall Ash's birth, she knows the next Stain would not hurt, because at that point it would make up the greater part of her being. I'll copy/paste the relevant quote when not on mobile if you don't believe me.

 

[Sveta08]

Also no Biedde, you do not get to adopt our family members, that's not how this works. Gah, if only Velvet wasn't so blind to what her Names are doing!

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?

Blind I would argue with.
Willfully ignorant is more apt. Her focus is on higher things.

And a small part of you thinks you know what he is doing, although you have decided not to think about it.

Click to shrink...

 

[Shaper47]

Remember that ceasing to love our family is very much on the table as the consequence of an RA. It's one of the Gifts that we can get from visiting the Wolf

Click to shrink...

Now this is just baseless fearmongering.

If anything a Colonel Sacrament is more likely to get rid of Velvet's ability to love. Cutting away weaknesses and all.

 

[spiderhellian]

I wonder if the forgive/don't forgive choice was whether Steppes would go with Biedde. Does he have anything tying him down, binding him to his past, a debt yet to repay?

And the resent/don't resent choice was how much we would know about it. Does it bother us to see our Uncle move on, do we have that memory of his past self still burning like an angry coal in our heart?

Either way, the reminder that Biedde was a Highwayman, once, is somewhat heartening. I hadn't noticed that resonance between him and Steppes. I'm a lot less pessimistic about what this means — at least, it doesn't seem like what Comet being grasped entailed.

 

[ses]

On ANOTHER note.

Allowing the Master to be reborn as Shaded Leaf, the first Prince of Equestria, would have explicitly "altered your epilogue". Maybe positively, maybe negatively, but certainly up to interpretation.
As it stands, Mareinette's Sacrament wouldn't have that kind of effect. I plan on explicitly telling you guys if you have a doom clock that is close to exploding (Celestia) or if a certain decision might have ramifications on your endgame (Shaded Leaf).
To be clear, I won't hold your hand. So if it's a known threat, like your disappeared Master, I won't let you guys know when it's about to bite. But if it's something sufficiently unpredictable and important, I'll give you guys a clear warning.
Mareinette's Sacrament does not reach that bar.

But you should still read the obvious signs, and consult your conscience. I am not invalidating everything else that was said. Only the specific assumptions about an epilogue.

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Apologies for scratching at a wound that isn't currently the subject of discussion (wolf pun intended), but I finally found that quote that I knew I had read before! So can we please stop talking about all this "Alukite Corruption" nonsense? Taking her sacrament doesn't mean that Hour-Velvet will suddenly start promoting pony sacrifice in the epilogue! It's a bad thing to do for exactly the normal reasons that killing and eating someone for the sake of power is bad, no more and no less, and it's up to us to decide if that's worth it.

Found the quote while looking for word of QM on Selene's Knock realization, because I was planning on proposing that next turn she do "Knock-Spy on Windy, Knock-Divine Moon Angel Revelations on Reproach, Soothe the Night" and needed to confirm that her knock realization did indeed have a "gain spy information" mode.

 

[Nevermort]

Apologies for scratching at a wound that isn't currently the subject of discussion (wolf pun intended), but I finally found that quote that I knew I had read before! So can we please stop talking about all this "Alukite Corruption" nonsense? Taking her sacrament doesn't mean that Hour-Velvet will suddenly start promoting pony sacrifice in the epilogue! It's a bad thing to do for exactly the normal reasons that killing and eating someone for the sake of power is bad, no more and no less, and it's up to us to decide if that's worth it.

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You see, befriending Mareinette and accepting her habits are not exactly the same thing as taking her Sacrament even though both things are reached simultaneously. You want to tell me that unrepentant Mareinette hanging around and doing her things post epilogue would not affect things? When she is primary specialist in Grail Lore and would be able to teach ponies her ways? Velvet may even allow befriended names to approach Glory and become Hours alongside her. Then we still get Alukite Hour even if it is not explicitly Velvet.

It easily can be that Sacrament by itself does not affect epilogue but circumstances and consequences of befriending unrepentant Marionette do.

 

[spiderhellian]

You see, befriending Mareinette and accepting her habits are not exactly the same thing as taking her Sacrament even though both things are reached simultaneously. You want to tell me that unrepentant Mareinette hanging around and doing her things post epilogue would not affect things? When she is primary specialist in Grail Lore and would be able to teach ponies her ways? Velvet may even allow befriended names to approach Glory and become Hours alongside her. Then we still get Alukite Hour even if it is not explicitly Velvet.

It easily can be that Sacrament by itself does not affect epilogue but circumstances and consequences of befriending unrepentant Marionette do.

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Bird: I'll tell you if a decision has ramifications on your epilogue.

Reader: Ah, but what if the decision has secret, sneaky, ramifications on our epilogue!

Like, come on. You can not want to do the Mareinette Sacrament, fine. But at some point this is just silly.

 

[Shaper47]

Freeing Axe will probably effect the epilogue more then going all Friendship is Magic with Mareinette.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

Velvet's Sacraments not shaping Velvet's epilogue is... odd. Unless Velvet is going to end up with far less power from reaching Glory than we originally thought...

 

[SolipsistSerpent]

You lot are overreacting.
It is not horrible, because its inevitable.
It is natural.

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Now, now, lots of horrible stuff is natural. As a certain disappointing sorcerer from a previous universe once said, "Life is horror."

That said, our old relative dying is something we're sort of braced for and Velvet doesn't know Biedde is involved. If dying is even exactly what's going to happen to him.

 

[Nevermort]

Bird: I'll tell you if a decision has ramifications on your epilogue.

Reader: Ah, but what if the decision has secret, sneaky, ramifications on our epilogue!

Like, come on. You can not want to do the Mareinette Sacrament, fine. But at some point this is just silly.

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Final state of Mareinette would affect epilogue one way or another unless you consider her to be so insignificant that she would not even deserve a mention in it. Be it friendly cannibal Mareinette, theorized Harmonized Mareinette, or free and holding a grudge Mareinette any should have enough power to affect epilogue one way or another.

What QM post tells us is that taking Sacrament would not be the decision that would cement it. Which is of course is useful to know. It does not mean that we would not be offered such decision later down the line, with all QM warnings that this is the decision that would affect epilogue and all that.

And it may be significantly later after taking her Sacrament, but I would not be surprised if it is directly after taking it too. I mean we likely would learn more about process of Name befriending when DoA returns, but some discussion between her and Velvet about how things will go going forward is not out of question, or so I am thinking.

If Velvet takes her Grail Sacrament does it mean that she automatically start trusting Mareinette with access to Glory? Without any mind control shenanigans I kind of doubt it. Instead I can imagine Velvet discussing things with Mareinette after the nice dinner they had, Mareinette telling her more about herself and so on, and then Velvet asking what Mareinette would do if she got power of a Hour or had a chance to become one. And then Mareinette will tell us, and after getting a glimpse on how Marienette sees her perfect ending we get to decide.

So my thoughts on the matter is that taking Sacrament indeed allows Velvet to befriend Name as we were told, but it may not be the only thing that is necessary for it, and in the end it would be up to Velvet to accept or not accept said friendship, especially after she learns what said friendship entails and how it affects things going further.