The butler led the group of five through the manor to the armory. "The Lady has insisted you be given full access to whatever will assist you." They entered the room of weapons and armor, but the butler proceeded across the room. His clever fingers caught under a shelf and lifted. With a grunt, a hidden niche was revealed with a mace, chain armor, and a rapier inside. "These are heirloom pieces, enchanted with magic. I would ask that you return them, even if Lady Longtail has given leave for you to take what you will. It does not do for a house to surrender its past."
Applejack moved up to inspect the pieces, then looked down to Scootaloo. "Ya can figure out magic things, right?"
Scootaloo bobbed her head before intoning the proper spell. She gazed over each slowly. "The shirt just kinda glowy. I don't think it's special besides being magic..." Her eyes turned to the rapier. "Ooo!" She hopped up and grabbed the rapier in her mouth and gave it a few swings. It burst into flame in her mouth, illuminating the room slightly in dancing light with her energetic waves. Scootaloo dismissed the flame, set the rapier down, then pulled the one she had out and switched for it. "Mine."
Applejack snorted softly before pointing at the mace. "One left."
Sunflower wandered the room, gazing from one piece to the next with wide eyes. Scootaloo squinted at the mace a moment intently before announcing. "It's..." She frowned and pulled out her spell book and leafed through it quickly. "Uh, a ghost-hunting mace? Cool, but we're not hunting ghosts are we?"
Sunflower reached up and took the mace, giving it a swinging about. It was a light mace, and rested easily enough in his paws. "If we see any, I'll be ready for them!" Sunflower turned the mace over and pointed at the bottom. "Look, it's got the family crest on it." There was an icon of the sun with a tail wrapped around it.
Applejack pulled the armor off. "Everypony got what they want? Get something t'wear. Yer fur ain't gonna protect much." She heaved a sigh. "Ah can't believe Ahm saying that."
Far better equipped than when they entered, the Crusaders departed the manor they had just started to call home. On the way out, they saw Lady Longtail engaged in conversation with one of the ratfolk. It sounded serious, but they didn't pry into it. Sunflower waved wildly at her on the way past. "Bye Grandma! We'll be back with stacks of gold in no time!"
Apple Bloom giggled a little. "Ah can't promise we'll be back with all of it that fast. Alright, ah think it's time we went over signals."
"Signals?"
Sweetie bobbed her head. "We have to stick together, and that means knowing what to do. If one of us does this." She made a motion with her hoof. "It means find something to hide under super fast."
Scootaloo winced. "Ugh, last time we used that, I got shot." She laughed it off though. "This one means charge!"
Applejack watched out of the corner of her eyes. She might not have been a full crusader, but knowing what her little companions were planning couldn't hurt.
Apple Bloom nodded towards Sunflower as they reached the end of the tutorial. "Don't worry about giving signals at first. Yer a new member, so just follow our lead, alright?"
Sunflower bristled a little at the idea. "But I'm the man here..."
Sweetie tilted her head. "Man?"
Sunflower bobbed his head. "Alpha, male. You're all girls. I should be in charge and take care of you, not the other way around."
Scootaloo suddenly sailed over Sunflower, bumping his head with her dangling hind legs very much on purpose. "That's stupid. We have more experience."
Applejack gave a soft snort. "Ya reckon ya can take care of me?"
Sunflower craned his head back to look up at the relatively towering Applejack. "Uh..."
Applejack reached out a hoof and gently nudged Sunflower. "We can wrastle for it if ya like?"
Sunflower shook his head quickly. "No ma'am! You can be in charge for now."
Applejack tipped her head. "Mighty magnanimous of ya."
Sunflower leaned towards Sweetie. "What's that mean?"
Sweetie beamed brightly. "She said you were nice!"
"Oh."
They traveled through the city to return to that dark tavern. Their contact was in the back, shuffling papers as if he had never left, though his drink was decidedly orange that day. His eyes raised to look at the four ponies and kitten that approached. "You're not dead! I assume that means the job went well?"
Applejack nodded her head. "Yep. Job was a mite tougher than expected, but we were paid fair. We're ready for more. We're saving up for something special."
Apple Bloom advanced just ahead of Applejack. "Do ya got something special?"
Louis raised a furry brow. "You can take care of rats, but you haven't earned your way into 'special' yet. I have two jobs I can part with." He quickly searched through the papers and laid them down in easy view. "The first is a guard detail for a warehouse. The owner's extremely paranoid about a shipment going through it. They're willing to pay ten gold per head, per night, and it should be a week. That's 350 in your pocket for what is likely easy work."
He nudged the other paper forward. "The other is an exploratory assignment. Cat discovered some ruins in his backyard while trying to dig out a cellar and is nervous something spooky will come out and eat him in his sleep. This one doesn't have a guaranteed pay. You get full looting rights, and that's it. Could be great, or nothing, can't say. Could be a boring walk around some old tunnels and a waste of time. Who knows?"
Applejack turned towards the Crusaders. "Well, ah like the one we know what we'll get paid fer."
Apple Bloom nodded slowly. "But... what if we look around the other one first, then we go play guards? We get both!"
Louis pushed the papers forward. "I like that foal's style. The shipment arrives in two days, so you have that long to finish exploring the other one, or you'll have to put it on pause and come back. The warehouse isn't negotiable. If you aren't there, you don't get paid. Since the ruins aren't being paid for, that cat gets what he gets."
Sunflower advanced to claim the papers, looking them over curiously. "There could be a mountain of gold..."
Scootaloo giggled. "Or a big fat nothing. Let's find out!" She thrust a hoof forward. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Ruin Explorers!" Her hoof was met by Sweetie and Bloom swiftly, with Sunflower's paw coming in shortly after, and Applejack's larger hoof finishing the job.
As the party turned to depart, Louis tapped Applejack on the flank. She turned sharply to find him offering a vial. "For the little ones. Let it not be said I have no heart. If they get hurt, give it to them."
Applejack accepted the vial and tucked it away into her saddlebag. "Thanks kindly. Ya ain't so bad, uh, fer a cat..." She trailed off, looking awkward.
Louis waved it off. "Go on. Try not to get them all killed."
Applejack frowned sharply at that. "Ah'll do mah best." Then she departed.
They proceeded through the crowded city, but were less hedged in that day than when they arrived. Armed and armored, they seemed to repel most of the casual contact. They were dressed like adventurers, ready to fight, and were given berth for it. Even the smaller Crusaders commanded a minimum of respect with their obvious weaponry on display.
Scootaloo took notice of the difference. "I could get used to this. I don't feel like somepony's gonna step on me."
Sweetie bobbed her head in agreement. She was the least obviously equipped of them, and stuck to the middle of their little herd. "I think I see it."
'It' turned out to be a small one-story house that, unlike most of the buildings in the area, had a small space on either side separating it from its neighbors . Scootaloo flew up and knocked on the door, clopping her hoof on the wood.
The door swung open to reveal a wiry looking purrsian with sandy brown fur. "What?"
Applejack tipped her hat at the cat. "Howdy. We heard ya had a problem out back and came ta fix it fer ya."
He nodded and waved a scrawny paw towards the back. "Go 'round the side and she's all yours. I don't want to hear about it. Tell me when it's safe." The door slapped shut without waiting for reply.
Sunflower wrinkled his nose. "He's not a very good purrsian."
Sweetie lifted an ear at Sunflower. "What do you mean?"
Sunflower shrugged. "Well, you can be a greedy cat, but he isn't that, because he's letting us take everything we find. He could be a nice cat, but..." He waved at the door. "He isn't that either. He's a coward, hiding scared in his house and doing nothing." He put his paws on his hips. "I'm going to be a great purrsian and make Mom proud."
Apple Bloom stuck out her tongue. "You better be the nice kind of cat or we'll have a problem. There's no room for greedy cats in the Cutie Mark Crusaders."
Sweetie bobbed her head. "He is a nice kind of cat! He was telling me about when they were lost in the middle of nowhere! Nopony wanted to do anything, so he went into the forest and hunted up food for everypony!"
Applejack raised a brow. "Ah remember that a little different... But yes, Sunflower's a good cat. Come on, let's have a look at what we came fer." She led the way around the building. There was a jagged hole in the sandy dirt, leading into darkness. "Sweetie? Send some of your light down there."
Sweetie clopped her hooves before letting out a sweet note. Balls of light erupted around her, then zipped down quickly into the hole, revealing a large room made of stone. It looked like sand had poured in from above in uneven piles. They could easily see two doors of stone leading elsewhere, but they were closed. Sweetie leaned over the edge a little. "Looks like it's time to explore."
The drop wasn't far, and with Applejack to serve as a landing point for Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, they were soon underground. Applejack lowered herself for her two passengers to slide free. "Stick togetha, alright? We'll do this nice and slow and safe. Ya won't do a lick a good to nopony if ya get hurt."
Sunflower was gazing "from" one piece to the next.
A "ghost-hunting" mace.
"Yer" fur ain't gonna protect much.
Ah can't believe "Ah'm" saying that.
A small "one-story" house.
Capitalize "mom" there, since he's using it as a name.
Caught up with those dang typos!
The butler really needs a name. May I suggest "Softpaws?" (Got it from a Batman fanfic. Catwoman's cats called Alfred 'Standing Softpaws' and held him in awe because he was so silent and commanded the largest Land of the Can Opener they had ever seen. :)
gazing from one piece to the next
rested
Sunflower has gotten a level in using the Dictionary. Sorry, Sweetie! (I wonder if Sweetie knows so many words from reading Rarity's romance novels.)
time. Who knows?"
Uh-oh, a mace of disruption and a spooky dungeon. The GM is telegraphing something here. :)
Usually it's "a wide berth" but what you have is not incorrect. They also look like they have money, where before they were naked paupers and beneath contempt. At least you always know where you stand with Purrsians. Rarity would probably do well in their city.
Two sentences starting with "It" and one-story should have a hyphen. Perhaps:
'It' turned out to be a small one-story house that, unlike most of the buildings in the area, had a small space on either side separating it from its neighbors .
So, he's a scaredy-cat?
Comma after "Well"
5889842 Fixed!
The character sheet document omits the feats the Crusaders would gain from their first hit dice. It only lists the feats they get from their races and classes, including proficiencies and bonus feats. For example, Apple Bloom is listed with: Armor Proficiency (Light), Brew Potion, Endurance, Simple Weapon Proficiency - All, and Throw Anything. She gains Endurance from being an earth pony, and gains Brew Potion, Throw Anything, light armor proficiency and simple weapon proficiency from being an alchemist.
5889924 You are entirely correct! They are untrained foals. They may yet pick up more feats over time. Sunflower got one (weapon finesse), but he was raised in this world, and Sweetie Belle got one (Practiced Horn Magic), because Twilight showed her how to use her horn properly.
With this chapter, I'm starting to experience cognitive dissonance between how I personally want Sunflower to develop, and how he's actually developing. For his sake, I'd like him to become the proud leader that he seems to envision himself as, but insofar as the actual flow of events is concerned, he seems to be developing into another Spike...and I don't mean the powerful, Everglow-ified version of Spike, but the Equestrian, "I'm always Humdrum" Spike; that is to say, the comic sidekick.
To some degree that can't be helped. After all, this fic is about Applejack and the CMC, and so Sunflower is just kind of tagging along on their adventure. On a less meta level, the other characters were right to put him in his place when he tried to assert his leadership (though it should be noted that if experience is what they want to lean on, they should all defer to Applejack a bit more). That part is understandable, any position of leadership - be it alpha of a pride or whatnot - is something you have to earn, and earning it means that the others in the group recognize and accept your leadership, whether happily or begrudgingly. Sunflower is just starting out, and has yet to earn that level of recognition from anyone.
That's notable, because I don't think this is a case of him needing to be humbled so much as needing to recognize that he's going to have to strive if he wants to achieve his goal. But while he's just starting out, I'm already starting to suspect that he'll never reach that goal, or at least not anytime within the context of this fic. That's partially because he is, quite simply, still a child, but it's not that that makes me think that he'll be perpetually stuck in a secondary role - after all, there are plenty of stories where children are the heroes (though less so when an adult is part of the group). What makes me despair of his being anything other than a running gag (or simple source for trouble) is that his Wisdom score is so abysmally low. Seriously, a Wisdom of 4? Scootaloo once almost got herself killed by running off into the woods alone at night, and her Wisdom is double that!
Also, he's the only non-spellcaster in a group of spellcasters, which automatically makes him one of the less-capable members of the team. While I'm not usually one to go into "tier system"-levels of reasoning about which classes are better and why (since I think those matter far less than how well you role-play what you do have, and if the GM makes sure to make the campaign spotlight everyone's strengths and weaknesses with some degree of equity), this seems like he's destined to be marginalized. Maybe he can study with Apple Bloom (the only CMC he doesn't seem to have bonded with, yet) about how awesome her potions are, and he can retrain into investigator?
All of that aside, what we got here was mostly setup for the next adventure, as the title says. The group has rightly determined that bigger risks carry the chances of a bigger reward, and since it's going to cost almost 11,000 gp (that includes the spellcasting services cost) to resurrect Willow, they're going to need to eschew the safer routes - 350 gp for a week's work would, at that rate, take them over six months to save up the necessary funds!
Here's hoping that they find something worthwhile down there.
5889959 Of course, 350 gp/week is quite a handsome rate, when you're not desperately scrambling to raise money for a resurrection.
Your thoughts on Sunflower are interesting. Purrsians get -2 wis out of the gate, and being young penalized it further, which is why they are where they are. In contrast, Lady Longtail is an old cat and has grown wiser over time. Is it no wonder she would rather he not have anything to do with this adventuring business?
Will he 'grow up'? Maybe. A large portion of that depends on whether or not he sticks around after they finish scraping together coins. I am generally loath to have a character around for too long without showing some kind of sign that they're learning something out of the trip. Learning to work as part of a team with the Crusaders will be a good thing for him, I think, provided he isn't horribly murdered.
First major loot, first real dungeon. This chapter's just full of milestones. Here's hoping it's not too exciting down there...
One thing I noticed about the character sheets: The Crusaders don't seem to have feats beyond what they get as race and class features. I could be wrong, but it's definitely the case for Scootaloo.
(Also, Sunflower has just 4 Wisdom? It's a good thing he's a rogue; he may be able to get out of trouble almost as easily as he'll be getting into it.)
5889999 Sweetie Belle got Practiced Horn Magic, other than that, they are short on feats for sure. Having a cutie mark is a bonus feat! Shame they don't have one. I'll give them a feat when they practice more and it feels right.
going down a dark hole, looking for tubal I have a feeling they will find it.
5889959
The way you become wise is by making mistakes. In their reckless experimentation, the CMC have had lots of opportunities to learn stuff the hard way. Sunflower has had exactly one encounter with real life that we have seen (and he's still milking it months later). His comment to the CMC about being in charge because he was a guy was certainly consistent with a wisdom of 4.
5890282 You're mixing aphorisms with game rules. Your Wisdom score does not go up over time because you "make mistakes" (notwithstanding the idea of ability score adjustments for being a child).
That's also leaving aside the issue of lopsided viewing. We know that the CMC has had all sorts of adventures because we've seen them. We've only seen Sunflower have one so far, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he hasn't had any others (especially given that his mother described herself as having her "latest scheme" fail, which imply that she has had others, apparently with her kitten in tow).
5890289 To put it more bluntly, Sunflower is naive, oblivious and apparently pretty sheltered. To contrast him with the CMC, who are already notably unwise, can only result in a super-low WIS score.
Oh boy, Sunflower's got a -3 on will saves. If he doesn't encounter an illusion, or better yet, an enemy that uses mind-control, you're not doing your job as a GM.
I notice that Sunflower is a follower of the Sun King which is the cat version of the Sun Queen the ponies (and donkeys) follow. Is this a case of the deity manifesting differently to different people, or are the purrsians mistaken and she's actually a female pony?
5890337 A common theological debate. We have a god blog where you can talk to either of them! http://ponyfinder.tumblr.com/
5890337 Or maybe the ponies are mistaken, and their deity is actually a male cat.
5890359 In a game called "Ponyfinder"? That seems unlikely
5890351 Okay, that's pretty weird.
5890367 To note, the cats were there before the ponies. The dwarves were there before either, but they have no sun god, so they aren't participating in this particular debate.
5890367 Meta-level reasoning does not support an in-universe debate. The ponies can't tell the cats "the game is called 'Ponyfinder' therefore the gods must be ponies!"
That's leaving aside the issue that just because the game is called that doesn't mean that any deities that may or may not be ponies must, in fact, be ponies.
5890421
It does though. I didn't ask if the ponies could prove the cats wrong. I asked if the cats were, in fact, wrong. This is one of precious few cases where there is an absolute right answer that is readily available. David's word is law in Everglow, so if he were to say either way, that would be that.
5890351
5890421
So, according to the blog, the Sun King and the Sun Queen are completely different people that exist simultaneously. It must be awkward deciding who gets to move the sun around. It seems that pseudo-mortal Celestia has more authority than either of them.
5890429 You're moving the goalposts here; your meta-level reasoning was that the game itself was called "Ponyfinder." That's a line of reasoning that can't be brought into an in-universe debate, because the characters don't perceive themselves as only existing within a game.
Beyond that, the question of whether or not the cats are wrong is not a meta-level reason, because it's debating an in-universe question that the characters can and do recognize, and are themselves debating. Whether or not any such answer can be proven by them is a separate issue.
5890452 Can you cite where it says that?
5890459 With all due respect to almighty Blaze, the lovely Sun Queen and the regal Sun King.
5890456 I was originally hoping that David would just tell me straight, yes or no. Failing that, I was trying to make an educated guess about his stance based on available information.
The characters have no significance in this debate, since they could all be wrong without it changing the truth.
5890464 I think that answer isn't nearly as unambiguous as you think.
5890483 It doesn't matter if the characters come to the right answer or not. The debate is about an aspect of their world that they can recognize from within the context of the universe as they perceive it; hence, it's not meta-level.
5890490
5890378
I don't care what the puny mortals think. What I want to know is: When David invented the Everglow gods, what kind of gods did he make? Are they actual entities with personal identities and super powers, or are they wimpy concepts that are tailored to public opinion?
5890503 Hey, I'd prefer that we had a Faiths & Avatars-style book about the various gods of Everglow as well, but I suspect that you've already received all of the answers you're going to on that particular topic.
5890520 Just another roadblock in my quest to know all objective truth. It's kind of a doomed quest, but it can be fun sometimes.
5890533 For what it's worth, I don't blame David for this so much as I blame the Pathfinder developers. They've made it very plain that they don't want to place even the most basic of definitions/limits on their deities (albeit notwithstanding demigods/quasi-divine beings), despite the fact that every edition of D&D before and since has had full-on stats for gods (though Fifth Edition hasn't had a chance yet, being less than a year old).
Of course, given how their game is based on the d20 System, which did a terrible job with stats for gods in 3E, I suppose I can understand their reluctance, even if I think they've gone way too far with it.
5890484 Oh, I think I may have noticed a misconception. When I said 'they're young.' I didn't mean that was an excuse. It literally has stat mods: +2 Dex, -2 Con, Wis, and Str
5890564 No, I understood what you meant.
It's just that even so, Sunflower has a Wisdom of 8, before age and race modifiers. Poor thing.
Kitty might be dumb, but has Undead Head Splatterer +1?
Hey, didn't Sweetie Bell find a magic ring of shielding or something that the party looted off the kobolds? It doesn't seem to be in her gear, or anyone else's.
Also, love the theological debate. David, do Everglow gods work off Discworld-style rules as many RPG settings do, where the power of the gods is actually dependent on the number and fervor of their worshipers? If there are no more creatures worshiping Lashtada for a long enough period of time, for example, will she fade away?
Or is it more that the gods draw their power from other sources, and compete for mortal worship only to gain valuable servitors to advance their agenda in the material plane.
5891046 Lashtada did indeed fade away in canon Ponyfinder, but you, amazing PC, can rediscover and revive her!
5891046 Ring fixed.
5891051 Sweet, so they do rely on mortal faith as a power source. Once you realize the gods are competing for the limited resource of faith, you can impute a lot of business strategies into the operations of the gods. For example, if there are a bunch of patriarchal purrsians who demand a Sun King and a bunch of matriarchal ponies who demand a Sun Queen, then mutually exclusive demands create a niche marketing strategy for both gods that lets them fill complimentary roles in the divine ecosystem. Since apparently the Sun King came first if purrsians came first, he could have split himself off to create a female pony version, or a new god could have arisen to fill an unmet spiritual need.
5891046 Excellent use of Discworld logic. I'll continue it. Lashtada is basically a small god at this point. She isn't held here by that one lone worshiper, but in this case by an artifact.