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

[angelsadvocate666]

…See, now I actually wanna go find those Expeditions just to see what's actually there.

 

[Greymere]

I mean. This is completely off the top of my head.

But if you (or better yet, Baldomare) did the ritual, and I hid the roll "because it involves an Outsider".

And then I proceeded to give you a vague description, and an actionable Expedition, that took place in:
-"A faraway pit of smoke and fire, filled with bars and cages" (Tartarus)
-"An old ruin, rank with the stink of Nowhere" (Pony of Shadows)
-"A snow-covered mountain, from which an old bell chimes" (Grogar's bell)

Any of those would have made enough sense for people to believe it was true, no?

And all of them would have led you nowhere (with a lowercase N). Or at least, all of them would have been costly, dangerous and high-level expeditions that would NOT net you an Outsider for your final objective. Only for you to return home, and scry again, but this time even more paranoid about "well, is this REALLY working?"

That is the wild goose chase you just skipped. But don't worry, that's just one of the steps towards the key to this door.

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I don't suppose we can reflect RotT off of Discord intentionally?

 

[Limabot]

It's good we avoided all that mess then, wasn't it?

Though the idea of Velvet beating up Tirek or Grogar, only to leave because they didn't have the right magic is kind is humorous to think about.

 

[Shadels]

Sounds like a hilarious Omake. Outside perspective of the good PR from the Lunar Bureau Commissioner heading out to solve a problem before it even becomes one, then cutting to Velvet busy complaining to Baldomare about how it wasn't an Outsider, it was a goat. All those actions used, only to wind up dealing with a goat.

Ah, if I could properly write and also had a proper idea in mind, I'd try my hand at it. Oh well.

 

[Greymere]

On the bright side, the fact that it's apparently so difficult even with the Lantern/Secret Histories Name doing the scrying means that Copper would have an absolutely miserable time of it, even if she does find out about the Tricuspid lock.

Also, random thought, but who wants to bet that some of those dangerous expeditions could provide Worthy Opponents for our Edge Sacrament?

 

[angelsadvocate666]

I mean, Copper also has a bunch of minions she can abuse to brute force the issue. It'll take some time but she can afford that. Windy should have real difficulty, though.

 

[Gyldir]

I don't suppose we can reflect RotT off of Discord intentionally?

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We could just sry for vague "interesting stuff".

Discord discoball scrying has more style, though.

 

[angelsadvocate666]

I'm also not really worried about the others getting through the Gate first just in general. I mean, it could happen if we really take a long time, but I'm more worried about whatever other shit might interfere first. Or just Copper deciding to. Win by simply removing the competition instead.

 

[Pittauro]

And all of them would have led you nowhere (with a lowercase N). Or at least, all of them would have been costly, dangerous and high-level expeditions that would NOT net you an Outsider for your final objective. Only for you to return home, and scry again, but this time even more paranoid about "well, is this REALLY working?"

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well, to be fair at least the Bell would have been fairly useful. It's a powerful artifact after all, to the point it can steal Discord's powers.

It might even potentially allow us to kill Mareinette, I imagine. Which makes it useful for killing the Outside, or to kill the "worthy enemy" of the Edge Sacrament.

or to steal the powers of an Alicorn... I suppose it could have been insurance against Celestia if she found us out?

I mean, Copper also has a bunch of minions she can abuse to brute force the issue. It'll take some time but she can afford that. Windy should have real difficulty, though.

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To be fair if Baldomare can't get a clear result, I'd expect the roll to be next to impossible for Copper, even with her minions.

RotT only accepts one sacrifice, and her bonuses for it are pitiful. it might very well be that even a nat100 is not enough for her!

I'm also not really worried about the others getting through the Gate first just in general. I mean, it could happen if we really take a long time, but I'm more worried about whatever other shit might interfere first. Or just Copper deciding to. Win by simply removing the competition instead.

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At worst I think our worry shouldn't be about them going through the Tricuspid, but finding other Sacrament-locked areas they can go in before us.

The most obvious example is Windy and the Resting Place of the Sun-In-Rags.

 

[Cochimetl]

Copper doesn't need to find an Outsider. She already knows where one is.
I just really don't see Copper of all people being the one who kills Celestia.

 

[angelsadvocate666]

To be fair if Baldomare can't get a clear result, I'd expect the roll to be next to impossible for Copper, even with her minions.

RotT only accepts one sacrifice, and her bonuses for it are pitiful. it might very well be that even a nat100 is not enough for her!

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Sure, but I mostly figured that there's probably a limit to the alternate locations, or they would start getting stacking bonuses or something as they got through them.

Copper doesn't need to find an Outsider. She already knows where one is.
I just really don't see Copper of all people being the one who kills Celestia.

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Also that, yeah. Though if she got enough minions with high Edge Influences or the right Name to help…

 

[Greymere]

At worst I think our worry shouldn't be about them going through the Tricuspid, but finding other Sacrament-locked areas they can go in before us.

The most obvious example is Windy and the Resting Place of the Sun-In-Rags.

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There might also be one past the 2nd Church expedition, for Grail. Her getting the Grail Heirloom from behind whatever barrier exists might be the only way we'd ever get to see what it is, considering.

Also that, yeah. Though if she got enough minions with high Edge Influences or the right Name to help…

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Well there is Biedde and his mystery dyad partner...

 

[Shaper47]

On the finding the Outsider (probably sealed Discord) do you think we can involve one of our future Alicorn allies?

Like, Luna and Cadence would probably be useful for the expedition but I'm kinda worried Harmony might be able to intervene though them. We don't know how much power, knowledge and access Harmony has but similar to our husband it might realize the importance of the moment when we get the Blood of the Outsider trait.

 

[Zxzx24]

That is not a bad idea, I am leery of bringing Luna into... well battle.

But she is going to be stronger than us. By a lot.

 

[Pittauro]

Also that, yeah. Though if she got enough minions with high Edge Influences or the right Name to help…

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Comet Feet at max Edge influence and max number of AotL Edge rituals possible would STILL not be able to beat Celestia. I doubt Copper can do anything better.

I think the only chance at killing Celestia would be using Biedde. And even there I'm not sure that's enough.

 

[angelsadvocate666]

Comet Feet at max Edge influence and max number of AotL Edge rituals possible would STILL not be able to beat Celestia. I doubt Copper can do anything better.

I think the only chance at killing Celestia would be using Biedde. And even there I'm not sure that's enough.

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I mean, that Comet Feet would actually be within range of her roll bonuses, and while he'd totally have way too little health, that's why I said enough minions. Meatshields to tank damage are a useful thing. Also they could probably find some artifacts to even the odds further.

Like, it wouldn't be easy by any means, but an organization could conceivably cough up enough preparations to kill even an Alicorn if they really needed to.

 

[Shaper47]

That is not a bad idea, I am leery of bringing Luna into... well battle.

But she is going to be stronger than us. By a lot.

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Yeah Luna's great for expeditions.

It's more we don't know what the link between Harmony and it's Alicorns can do. My Child of Love omake idea for instance has Harmony hit the panic button and attempt to stick the Alicorns on a just about to win Velvet.

I think the only chance at killing Celestia would be using Biedde. And even there I'm not sure that's enough.

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Technically we could have had the chance to kill Celestia earlier in an alternate history where we snuck in while she was captured.

 

[Cochimetl]

Keep in mind that Celestia can out-minion anyone. She's got the Royal Guard.
Even with some Edge in a cultist army, I'd say Celestia would still have the quality as well as the quantity advantage.

 

[Zxzx24]

It's more we don't know what the link between Harmony and it's Alicorns can do. My Child of Love omake idea for instance has Harmony hit the panic button and attempt to stick the Alicorns on a just about to win Velvet.

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Nae we don't know much about harmony, we know it hasn't visibly done anything to help us out however.

Technically we could have had the chance to kill Celestia earlier in an alternate history where we snuck in while she was captured.

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Do you mean Twilight?

OH. When Chrysalis had her captured.

...Eh.

 

[angelsadvocate666]

Keep in mind that Celestia can out-minion anyone. She's got the Royal Guard.
Even with some Edge in a cultist army, I'd still say Celestia would still have the quality as well as the quantity advantage.

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I mean, in a general sense yeah. But outmaneuvering the guard to ambush Celestia where they can't help her isn't impossible as the aggressors getting to decide the field of battle.

 

[Shaper47]

Nae we don't know much about harmony, we know it hasn't visibly done anything to help us out however.

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Harmony does seem to like to stay safe behind whatever door it's hiding behind but if it's about to loose I suspect it can try to stop us.

Not as in it directly manifests and attacks us as the secret final boss. But more every Alicorn gets our location blasted into their mind, a empowered by Harmony buff and told to stop us.

I mean, that Comet Feet would actually be within range of her roll bonuses, and while he'd totally have way too little health, that's why I said enough minions. Meatshields to tank damage are a useful thing. Also they could probably find some artifacts to even the odds further.

Like, it wouldn't be easy by any means, but an organization could conceivably cough up enough preparations to kill even an Alicorn if they really needed to.

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I mean given how Windigo's summons work you could overpower her with them. Summon 4 Windigo's and store them in a city, then repeat a few times. Then send all of them at Celestia, sure they'd break their bindings once they reach her location but they'd be super powerful.

You'd probably also need Velvet Axe if your trying to kill her in a straight fight to prevent her from teleporting away.

If Velvet managed to seduce and fall in mutual love with Celestia she might be able to divide her with a regrettable action. But then she'd have to kill Áine to get the Blood of the Outsider trait. So not worth it for this Velvet Covers.

 

[Gyldir]

Comet Feet at max Edge influence and max number of AotL Edge rituals possible would STILL not be able to beat Celestia. I doubt Copper can do anything better.

I think the only chance at killing Celestia would be using Biedde. And even there I'm not sure that's enough.

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Path through Nightmares.

She may have a lashing-out phase, but i can't imagine she will be able to defend herself after that.
If she teleports away: Scry and stalk.

 

[Earth-Destroyer]

Comet Feet at max Edge influence and max number of AotL Edge rituals possible would STILL not be able to beat Celestia. I doubt Copper can do anything better.

I think the only chance at killing Celestia would be using Biedde. And even there I'm not sure that's enough.

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End is Beautiful repeat using all 4 actions a turn until dead. Killing an Alicorn is not hard, it getting the blood of an Outsider that matters not how you kill them.

The real question is if even killing Celestia would count for the blood of an outsider. Luna did when we found her, but she was also it a severely raw state. It may well be that both Alicorns are to naturalized to count as outsiders normally, in fact I suspect that is the case. The Outsider was only a single whole being, not two.

Same reason despite the 100 roll, and special actions taken from it we much further from Harmony then the Glory. That door requires their to one whole being to open the gate, not two. So the reaching Harmony would likely involve melding Luna and Celestia back into one single being.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

The most obvious example is Windy and the Resting Place of the Sun-In-Rags.

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It's most likely the resting place of the Sun in Splendour actually. In most Histories when the SiS rises again he consumes the Hours descended from him in doing so and the creatures protecting it are Mare in the Light not Mare in the Mirror, Lantern Edge and not Winter Edge.

 

[Gyldir]

End is Beautiful repeat using all 4 actions a turn until dead. Killing an Alicorn is not hard, it getting the blood of an Outsider that matters not how you kill them.

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Iirc more than 1 of that per turn from velvets side would cause issues.
And again.
Celestia has a strong body but her mind is in tatters.
If you want to kill her, go for the weak spot. The spot where she is almost broken. Don't go for where she is strong.

 

[angelsadvocate666]

Yeah, EiB has a "it is extremely unadvisable to cast this more than once per month" warning label on it.

 

[Pittauro]

I mean, that Comet Feet would actually be within range of her roll bonuses, and while he'd totally have way too little health, that's why I said enough minions. Meatshields to tank damage are a useful thing. Also they could probably find some artifacts to even the odds further.

Like, it wouldn't be easy by any means, but an organization could conceivably cough up enough preparations to kill even an Alicorn if they really needed to.

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Eh, Comet might be able to keep up until he runs out of AotL.

even meatshields would only prolong the inevitable.

That said, if Coppet was somehow lucky enough to get her hand on some relevant artifact... But we're talking the GOOD stuff.

The Staff of Sacanas (from the movie), the Alicorn Amulet (and that might not be quite enough), Grogar's Bell... those weird petrifying bombs Tempest used in the movies too

Yeah Luna's great for expeditions.

It's more we don't know what the link between Harmony and it's Alicorns can do. My Child of Love omake idea for instance has Harmony hit the panic button and attempt to stick the Alicorns on a just about to win Velvet.

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I very much doubt Harmony has the ability to interfere with us directly.

We'll see if Luna is close enough to us we could plausibly involve her in those kind of things. Right now we have no idea how she'll feel about us after all.

Technically we could have had the chance to kill Celestia earlier in an alternate history where we snuck in while she was captured.

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that's... well, we would have had to go through or around Chrysalis, but it was indeed a possibility. I doubt we would have ever WANTED to though, and I was more talking of an actual combat with a reasonably healthy Celestia.

Harmony does seem to like to stay safe behind whatever door it's hiding behind but if it's about to loose I suspect it can try to stop us.

Not as in it directly manifests and attacks us as the secret final boss. But more every Alicorn gets our location blasted into their mind, a empowered by Harmony buff and told to stop us.

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meh, it's never been even implies Harmony can do that.

even in canon, the closest Harmony gets to talk directly to the Alicorns was the Cutie Map, and that only happened AFTER Twilight ascended AND gave back the elements to the tree AND opened the box in them.

We're far behind compared to canon in terms of Harmony being strengthened.

End is Beautiful repeat using all 4 actions a turn until dead. Killing an Alicorn is not hard, it getting the blood of an Outsider that matters not how you kill them.

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Yeah, EiB has a "it is extremely unadvisable to cast this more than once per month" warning label on it.

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yeah, that

 

[angelsadvocate666]

Eh, Comet might be able to keep up until he runs out of AotL.

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You know, I honestly forgot Attention only applied to one roll. I was thinking it was the entire combat. Man, Edge Attention is freaking useless. We really need to get an actual combat artifact at some point.

 

[Zxzx24]

Not as in it directly manifests and attacks us as the secret final boss. But more every Alicorn gets our location blasted into their mind, a empowered by Harmony buff and told to stop us.

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This strikes me as wildly unlikely. If anything harmonys champions have helped us no?

 

[Shaper47]

This strikes me as wildly unlikely. If anything harmonys champions have helped us no?

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This is in the history where we have the Blood of the Outsider trait and are just about to reach Glory achieving our victory condition as the new Goddesses of the world. Velvet taking the metaphysical ruler of the wold position means Harmony doesn't and thus Harmony looses.