[Manehattan] Dungeons, Ponies, Magic and Dragons [CLOSED!]

[Imagination]

Sketch listened very closely to the instructions for the character sheets. He wanted to make sure he did everything right... But at first the stats confused him. After asking for help, he pretty much got everything he was supposed to. Numbers numbers numbers, math math math.

He thought he had a pretty sweet build going. And after looking at all the spells available in the book, he was excited about the possibilities! Though some of the cooler sounding ones didn't seem like they'd fit a priest. Oh well. After some scribbles, he put the two statistical sheets on the table for review! Woo![colour=#ff8c00] "Okay, I think I got this... Is everything right, or should I change something?"[/colour] He seemed to have picked a pretty complicated class for a beginner... Or at least he thought so. But this would be a great learning experience if nothing else. After listening to everyone else's character ideas, it seemed like this game was going to be a LOT of fun!

He hoped he didn't miss anything. After a moment of ponderance, he waited with an anticipating smile on his face. Adventure, ho!

[RarityDash]

[colour=#000000]Vivid listened and watched Drifting Veil closely as he handed out the character sheets and explained to them the process of filling them out. It seemed a little complex, but being an engineer by trade, Vivid was used to dealing in complexities. Absorbing the information spoke and then pouring over the guides while Silver Flash helped sort out the woefully lost Sugar Rush, the process began to become increasingly clear to her. Quietly she began to fill out her character sheets, one by one.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Vivid thought long an hard about each little thing as she filled in the first sheet. Regalia was a great knight, a champion of the realm. She of course would have to be a well balanced leader. As a skilled knight, strength was paramount; it would be alloted nine points. She decided to allot the most points there. A knight also needed to be durable and resilient for the battle she would face; she bubbled in an eight for constitution. Now being of royal birth and trained by one of the realm's best knights, Regalia also needed to have the capacity to lead others. Charisma was absolutely vital; it needed an eight as well. Intellect and wisdom were of course important to a champion as well, and it was kind of frustrating that she could not make Regalia excel in all areas... but without the points to spare she found herself forced to mark a five for both.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Selecting skills was likewise a simple act. Of the options presented to her, none were more valuable to a knight of Regalia's illustrious calibre than the art of diplomacy and the ability to endure whatever was thrown at her. These each got two filled in and we're given and we're marked as trained. Athletics was alloted one point and marked as trained; being spry was an important thing to a knight as well after all. Her last point went to Intimidate; striking fear into the enemy was always a valuable tactic.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]She finished the form by writing Regalia's details in her usual flowing script at the top. She found the space wasn't quite enough. She wasn't able to elaborate on her intense and moving backstory like she would have liked and it ended up looking kind of cluttered. it bothered her some. At the side she drew a sword; it turned out kind of messy, since she had to draw in the dark parts to emphasize how the light surrounded it. it made her almost want to start the whole thing over... but instead she decided to ignore it and move along.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Vivid started on the second sheet, filling in the stats as instructed. She rather liked how it turned out. She then looked through the guides to select her weapon. There was nothing more appropriate for a knight than a tried and true longsword paired with a shield. She decided to go with that combination, filling in the blank for the weapon and its associated damage rating. She found the associated power, Power Strike and recored that as well. Following that, she recorded her defensive powers, Defender Aura and Battle Guardian. She wasn't entirely sure what it all meant just yet, but she was rather liking it all. All of it sounded rather knightly and distinguished, like Regalia should be.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Vivd moved on to the final page. She recorded the feats that went with her equipment as well as making note of her race's ability to fly. For the remaining feat, she selected Improved Initiative, as it seemed an important thing for a leader. For equipment, she listed her shield and the best armor she could choose, some chainmail. When it came to other items, she felt it was best to be prepared but not overly so. A saddlebag, some rations, a bedroll and a water skin sounded like enough to get her by. She calculated the cost for all of these items and then subtracted it from her 100 bits, leaving her with 21. To finish things off, she spent some time on a profile sketch of Regalia, wearing a knightly helmet and armor. When she was done and satisfied, she gave a nod.[/colour]

[colour=#333300]"Does this look right?"[/colour] [colour=#000000]she asked tentatively, handing her character sheets to Drifting Veil. She hoped she hadn't made any errors.[/colour]​

[Bramble Rose]

Silver Flash nodded and gave an approving smile to Sugar, as he gave his response. [colour=#008080]"That's exactly what I wanted to know! An Eagle Companion and shooting arrows! Perfect!"[/colour]

She leaned over his shoulder and pointed at the sheet. [colour=#008080]"What you'll want here is 'Point Blank Shot'. That's your basic archery feat ... fill it in there, but kinda small, you'll have lots and lots of feats by the time this game is done. And as a forest unicorn, you automatically get the Weapon Focus: Long Bow feat. So fill that in, too. Then, ummmm..."[/colour]

She pulled out the Dryad splatbook, and flipped through the pages. [colour=#008080] "OK, special abilities... equipment..." [/colour] She helped him sort through a few last things, and came to the page she was looking for. [colour=#008080]"For the discerning druid who wants to look like death incarnate to the enemies of nature, there's a special sort of bladebow called the Scythebow. It's pretty much perfect for you!"[/colour] She smiled brightly. [colour=#008080]"And we'll handle your spells in a bit ... but first, I need to get my *own* sheet filled out!"[/colour] she cried perkily. [colour=#008080]"Just look through these two lists - the level 0 and level 1 spells - and see which ones you think sound neat. Don't worry about missing out on any - you can change which spells you have ready, every day."[/colour]

With that, she turned to her own sheet, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Whew. That took a lot of energy. [colour=#008080]"Heh... mind if I have one of those?"[/colour] she asked, snagging a bit of sugar cane for herself and popping the end in her mouth, sucking on it thoughtfully as she went over her sheet.

Dexterity, of course, but ... she was a skillful rogue. Intelligence first, then dex. She'd need every skill point she could *get* for all those craft skills she would be accumulating... Then ... strength of constitution? hit points, con. Definitely. She hated to use Charisma as a dump stat, but fortunately, someone *else* had the diplomatic aspect of the group covered ... so she could let them handle that. She supposed she'd have to be the geeky and enthusiastic but somewhat bad at dealing with others sort of pony.

Slowly she filled in her sheet, a thoughtful *hrmmmm* as she agonized over where to put her skill points. She could certainly understand Sugar's desire to just fill in *everything*. A scattering of one-dots should make sure she took full adventage of her +3 bonus in so many skills... and keep her from taking that 'no skill ranks' penalty. She really, really wanted a higher perception for traps, but she supposed she'd have to bring that up with later levels. They'd have to depend upon Alfalfa for spotting dangers. Equipment... ugh. So much stuff she wanted. Ooooo, smoked goggles! No, no, she'd have to upgrade later... she needed those thief's tools, and ARGH those were expensive! Mustn't forget the saddlebags to actually *store* it all in. Paper and parchment for blueprints ... a journal, that's a good idea. Oil comes in handy for devices, but also as a last-ditch effort for fire...

Carefully she rationed out every last copper piece, and sighed as she saw she was broke at the end of it. Well, apparantly Snicker Snack had underestimated the costs of adventuring, and was at the end of her purse. Which would make her eager to take on any adventure that might pay! That would give the game-master an in.

She let out a final sigh and pushed her sheet away. [colour=#008080] "There. That'll do for now," [/colour]she murmured to herself, and pushed it across to Drifting Veil. [colour=#008080]"How's this look, DM?"[/colour]

​

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]As Silver explained everything enough for Sugar to understand the simple spelling of the words and writing it down, Sugar began to get very excited. A blade and a bow in one? Awesome! This role play business was actually really cool! He was sure that his twin brother would appreciate some sort of game like this. Maybe when he got back to Gallopocous Island, he could show him the rules, and maybe even bend the rules in his favour a bit. Sugar started tapping his hoof on the table repeatedly while writing with his mouth. He then noticed that he had accidentally coloured his character sketch the wrong colour. He quickly took eraser and scrubbed the paper clean of the colour, and started to redraw it. With every stroke of his crayon in mouth, his head shook more and more.

He dropped his crayon after updating his character. [/colour][colour=#4b0082]"Oh, sure! It's called sugar cane."[/colour][colour=#000000] Sugar passed a reed to Silver. His head started bobbing up and down uncontrollably as he looked at her. [/colour][colour=#4b0082]"You don't swallow the whole thing. Just chew it and suck on it."[/colour][colour=#000000] Sugar got into Silver's face awkwardly, as if he had to prove his point.[/colour][colour=#4b0082] "IT'S GOOD!"[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Sugar then pushed away and spun around in his chair, but then stopped, grabbed his crayons, and threw them all up over the table, letting them fall like rain. [/colour][colour=#4b0082] "I'm so excited about this! This is gonna be so much fun!"[/colour][colour=#000000] Sugar grabbed Sketch by the shoulders who was sitting on his other side, shook his body with his own jittery mood. [/colour] [colour=#4b0082]"It's gonna be so much fun!!!"[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Sugar then took a piece of cardboard, cut it into a horn shape, and tapped it to his forehead. He jumped onto the table and shouted, [/colour][colour=#4b0082]"I'm Alfalfa. And I fear no evil doers! Pew, pewpew, pew pew pew!"[/colour][colour=#000000] Sugar made noises and waved his hooves around as if he was shooting arrows. At first he was doing it towards nopony, but then he started directing it at Drifting Veil.[/colour]

​

[Davroth]

After he was sure everyone was well on their way to fill out their character sheet, Drifting Veil had started to prepare the real fun. Sure, character creation could be a little tedious to the newcomer, but the true magic was in the game itself, and the opportunities and freedom it provided. He always thought of it as cooperative story telling, and when in doubt if someone was able to do something, or really, anything, a quick roll of the dice would tell you all you needed to know. Surprising success or catastrophic failure, it was all in the dice. He had more then any sensible pony would ever need it its entire life, but that came with the hobby. And dice were really one of those things you don't part with. They are just small enough to stick around without getting lost.



He had set up his dungeon master screen, a piece of folded cardboard, showing an adventure scene of a group of hill ponies fighting a dragon on it, and on the other side a bunch of useful information and lists to remind him in the heat of battle without having to look through all the books again. Behind it, he was sorting the stuff he'd need for this evening. It consisted of a couple of game pieces and maps, to show everyone's position once they would be in combat. And of course his secret notes, all the plans he had been lying out for this campaign. It had a little bit of everything in it. Most experiences players would probably be able to see in advance what would happen, but then again, that only applied to Silver Flash. He was hoping that she would resist the temptation to mess with his campaign too much.

He was just finished sorting all his equipment when the first finished character sheets were coming his way. He took a not too in-depth look at them. He had seem many character sheets in his life, and instantly spotted inconsistencies, but starter characters were easy enough to check. However, then Silver Flash's sheet caught his attention. It would require some scrutiny by him. He took a moment and reconstructed her character and came to the conclusion that the math worked out. But of course it was a prime example of min-maxing. He had expected nothing less.



After he had made sure that all the characters were fine, he cleared his throat.


[colour=#00ff00]
"Now, ve can start ze actual fun part of roleplaying games now. Ze actual game." [/colour]He looked between his players. Maybe a little more explanation was in order. [colour=#00ff00]"I already told you vat kind of world we are in, a fictional past of Equestria, 500 years in ze past. It's a simpler time, and ze land is heavy wiz adventures to be had and monsters to be fought, and zat's vere you four come in. You vill have an adventure together, spanning several months, and leading you to regions of Equestria zat you've never seen and most likely never existed."
[/colour]


He clapped his fronthooves together. [colour=#00ff00]"So, let me explain how zis is going to work. I vill set the scene for you, and zen you vill tell me vat your character is going to do. Zen I vill ask you to roll ze dice, depending on ze situation, and zen tell you vat happens based on vat you did and how vell you did it, according to ze dice. Don't be too scared about the luck element. It's not as bad as it might sound."
[/colour]

[colour=#00ff00]
"Now, I vill begin to explain ze setup. All of you, of course, have zere own history and such, but at zis point in time, if by fate, you have found yourself in Crossroads, a small travel post in the middle of ze Heartland, close to ze place ve know call Ponyville, zough zat town wouldn't be founded for a few more hundred years. In your short time here, you haf noticed all kinds of weird folk, most likely adventurers looking for fame and fortune. You might have even seen each other already in passing, but zat's somezing I leave to you guys. Staying in the local inn, ze biggest part of ze travel post, each of you has found a hoofwritten note on your bed. It offers vell paid work, and even zough it doesn't tell you what work it is specifically, it says you are supposed to come into the tavern after midnight, to meet an old unicorn at the small table right next to ze bar. Vatever your motivation might be, all of you decide to at least hear vat ze unicorn has to say. So you arrive at ze tavern in whichever order you choose. Ve set in ze moment you step inside ze inn. It's a few minutes til midnight. Most guests have already retired, except for a small group of ponies at a corner table, but zere is an older looking unicorn clad in a long cloak zat covers most of his body, right next to ze bar, as described in ze note. "
[/colour]


Once again, he glanced at each of his players individually. [colour=#00ff00]"So! Who vould like to to go first? Vat would you like to do?"
[/colour]




Okay, so, we are going to not have a fix post order for now. Instead, everyone can post, but try to all stay engaged, please. What you will do is write a post, describing what your character does, and what your character lets his/her character do. Once something happens, I post describing what happens. If something requires a diceroll, I will tell you, and you will make that dice roll on your own, and edit it into the post that required a roll. Be advised, though, that I will be making hidden rolls as well, based on your stats, to see if you notice things you didn't pay attention to and the like.



Also, I'd like all of you to attach your character sheets at the end of every post in spoilers. And you might have to add on them later on as well, so make sure to always have the latest version of your character sheet attached to your latest post.



If there are questions on how this will go from now on, feel free to ask in PMs or via Skype. And if not, I'll be thrilled to see what you guys come up with.

[Bramble Rose]

While Drifting Veil was going over her sheet, Silver Flash quickly huddled over her books, scanning through a few last things... "Great, thanks!" she said cheerfully. [colour=#0000cd]"Just one last change before we begin! I'm moving a point of Streetwise to Craft, and then I'm using a Quirk from the 'Story behind the Story' splatbook called 'Socially Awkward' for a -2 to all Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Perception checks related to social interaction, since Snicker Snack is going to be rather geeky. With the extra feat I get from that, I'm buying up the feat 'Master Craftsman' to represent the training her parents gave her!"[/colour] She gave a wry grin. [colour=#0000cd]"I'll forgo giving up my ability to wink in order to get an extra weapon proficiency, though."[/colour]

She nodded to herself, satisfied, as she made the quick updates to her sheet, listening to Drifting Veil set the scene. Ha! The group meets in Crossroads, in a taproom. Classic! [colour=#0000cd]"All right! Snicker Snack is staying at the inn, rather a bit worried. She's been in Crossroads looking for work for the past week, and tonight represents her very last bit - she's not looking forward to have to beg, borrow, or steal in order to eat breakfast tomorrow. So this note comes as a great relief to her! A job! She steps downstairs to go to the table where the cloaked unicorn is sitting."[/colour]

Silver Flash lifted a hoof up to ruffle through her mane, making it into a terrible mess, and worked her mouth a moment, flexing and shifting it, working her tongue around. When she spoke, her voice was a little lower, just the slightest bit nasal. [colour=#0000cd]"So you're looking for a fixther?"[/colour]

​

[colour=#ffffff]Snicker Snack stepped into the dark taproom, lit only by flickering lanterns spread too-far-apart. It was late - the farmers had either long since gone to bed to prepare to rise with the light of the morning sun, or had slid under the table to do the same. The only ones up at this time of night were troublemakers, or those who hunt for troublemakers. She felt very, very adventurous being up so late - she was still a very young mare, and being up late was still a novelty for her, her parents having been rather strict about such things.

The cloaked unicorn stood out in the nearly empty taproom, and Snicker Snack adjusted her saddlebags, twitched her brand-new war-wrench underneath one of them into a more comfortable position, and trotted across the room with a spring to her step to settle down across the table from the stranger. Her dark brown coat sunk into the darkness, but her brassy mane seemed to leap out in the lamplight.[/colour]

[colour=#ffa500]"So you're looking for a fixther?" [/colour][colour=#ffffff]she asked cheerfully. [/colour][colour=#ffa500]"I can fixth jutht about anything! You picked the right mare!"[/colour]

​

[Imagination]

Sketch nodded, the artsy unicorn trying to focus on what a priest could want with well-paid work... A few ideas crept into his noggin, but they didn't seem all too sound. For now, he only said [colour=#daa520]"Alright"[/colour] in understanding to their dungeon master. This was going to be fun! Though he had to wonder if Veil was going to take it easy on Sketch's first time, or if he was going to have to jump into experienced shoes right away. Only one way to find out!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[colour=#fff0f5]Solemn Vow had found his way to the tavern at long last! Traveling on his own had been a bit harder than he thought, but all things considered he had made some great progress! Of course, he didn't really have a set destination. Just wherever the sun took him. Luckily the night-time riff-raff didn't bother him much... Maybe they felt bad if they robbed a stallion of the cloth? Oh well.[/colour]

[colour=#fff0f5]The sun priest looked about the late-night tavern, actually a bit distressed to see that there were still ponies there. Didn't they have loving families to go home to? Or jobs to prepare for in the morning? Everypony should have something to look forward to with every dawn.[/colour]

[colour=#fff0f5]But he digressed. It was time for bed so he could be on his way at sunrise. [/colour]

[colour=#fff0f5]Renting a room, he made his way up there and promptly found... a note on the bed! Arching a brow he opened it and read it. Something about needing to hire adventurers? Maybe the last pony who rented this room had left it by mistake? Either way... Something was telling him maybe he should look into this. After all how hard could this adventure possibly be? He could even use whatever this reward/payment was and donate to the monastery![/colour]

​

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Sugar Rush looked around at the other players, who were just staring at him as he posed on the table shooting fake arrows. He blushed, maintained a small sense of maturity and sat back down at his seat. He took a deep breath as he began to relax and get ready for the story. Before Drifting was able to truly begin, Silver started detailing the final parts of her character sheet. She just kept talking. And talking. And it was boring. Sugar couldn't even understand what she was talking about, but he was glad when she ended. Sugar started to realized, though she might be a nice mare willing to help a beginner, she's awfully nerdy when it comes to her characters.

Sugar then turned to the attention of Drifting, who was starting to setup the story. Sugar blurted out while he was talking, [/colour][colour=#800080]"Months!? We're gonna be in this room for months!?"[/colour][colour=#000000] Sugar looked around at everyone who was giving him the blank stare again. [/colour][colour=#800080] "Oh, sorry, continue." [/colour][colour=#000000] Sugar blushed again, and held his hooves over his mouth. He was so excited, he almost couldn't contain it.

After Drifting displayed the intro to the story, Sugar waited a few players and then spoke up. [/colour][colour=#800080]"Alfalfa was out killing, um, something. And then he went to the inn and discovered the letter. He decided it would be a good idea to respond to it in person, so he waited until after midnight and went to the tavern. When he got there, he decided it was best to play it cool and order a drink first, after all, if this was a sensitive work offering, he wouldn't want to impose, and he would rather play hard-to-get anyway. It's no surprised the letter was addressed to him, with him being so awesome and cool and stuff. He sat momentarily at the bar and said..."[/colour]

​

[colour=#ff0000]"I want a hot chocolate. Now. And extra chocolate!"[/colour] [colour=#ffffff]When Alfalfa got his drink he sipped it slowly and then stopped because it was hot. But then he sipped it again a little faster. Still hot. He blew on it a few times.[/colour] [colour=#ff0000]"Can you get me some ice cubes!?" [/colour] [colour=#ffffff]Alfalfa put ice cubes in his hot chocolate and stirred it for a minute, and then sipped it again.[/colour] [colour=#ff0000] "Ah!"[/colour] [colour=#ffffff]He said.[/colour] [colour=#ff0000]"This is perfect!"[/colour]

[colour=#ffffff]Then, he noticed a hooded unicorn sitting at a table next to the bar. This was obviously the guy that was willing to pay Alfalfa a lot of money for something only he can do.[/colour]

​

[colour=#800080]"Oh no! Money!"[/colour][colour=#000000] Sugar stopped for a moment while he thought.[/colour]

​

[colour=#ffffff]Actually, the bartender owed Alfalfa money, so the hot chocolate was on the house. So anways, Alfalfa stepped closer to the table until he sat down inconspicuously and said,[/colour] [colour=#ff0000]"So you need a hero like me, huh?"[/colour]

​

​

[RarityDash]

[colour=#000000]Vivid watched and waited as the others had their turns. She had been tempted to be the first to act, but her lack of familiarity with the game had her defer to the far more experienced Silver Flash. She decided she would be last to act. As a natural leader, it made sense for Regalia to act last if not first so as her actions carried an air of finality. This decided, she watched the other act, picking up quickly on how the game should be played. [/colour]

[colour=#000000]The hipppogriff nodded and began to set her scenario,[/colour][colour=#333300] "On orders of Her Majesty, Regalia has long been patrolling the realm as a knight-errant, dispatching monsters and miscreants with her trusty brand. She has come to sojourn at the Crossroads Inn by happenstance. In finding the note, she is scrupulous; she is a noble and virtuous knight of the kingdom, not some common mercenary content to work for coin. All the same, something in what is written intrigues her. At the proper time, she goes to find the unicorn even if she suspects it will only be to turn him down..."[/colour]

​
[colour=#000000]

[colour=#000000]Regalia Banneret's countenance showed an uncommon amalgam of pride, curiosity and a hint of acrimony as she stepped slowly into the dark barroom that night, the note that had been waiting for her on her bed clenched in her left talon. She knew not what to anticipate from this, but doubted it would be anything good. She was a warrior of virtue and honor; she did not covet coin and those who did frequently left a most unpleasant taste in her beak. At the same time, she had been singled out for something by someone. Just listening to a messenger alone rarely bode ill. It remained her prerogative what to do with the message.

Her eyes traced the room quickly and soon she found a cloaked pony matching what was described in the note. Around him were assembled a small company of others. There were three of them; what looked to a cleric of the Order of the Sun, a pegasus mare toting an oversized wrench and a rather outlandish looking unicorn stallion. In her view the clergy demanded all due regard. The other two she wasn't sure what exactly to make of. For now, it mattered not. It was the hooded figure with whom her business was. Regalia approached him unwaveringly.[/colour]

[colour=#00cccc]"Regards, o hooded traveler. Be you the one who has left for me this summons?"[/colour] [colour=#000000]she asked, presenting the note that had been left for her.[/colour] [colour=#00cccc]"I ask what manner of task you have prepared that you assume might demand heed from a venerable knight of the realm such as I?" [/colour]

[colour=#000000]Stern and proud, Regalia gave a nod before giving her ultimatum,[/colour] [colour=#00cccc]"My time belongs to Her Majesty and is not to be squandered on vain trifles. State your piece and let us see if it is worth my while!"[/colour]

​[/colour]

[Bramble Rose]

Silver Flash had never been all that good at waiting for the DM to give them the adventure... she always wanted to get into the interaction between the characters. The other two hadn't given her much to go with, but Vivid's declarations.. And a perfect opportunity to dig in that low Charisma score a bit more.

​

[colour=#ffffff]Snicker Snack let out a delighted laugh at the high-falutin' speech, barely able to follow it - but she was quite impressed. This is, after all, why she'd left home - to see far-away things, and hear far-away accents![/colour] [colour=#ffa500] "Ha-ha! Wow, Mith Fanthypanth! You thound like a unicorn!"[/colour] [colour=#ffffff]she cried delightedly.[/colour][colour=#ffa500] "Who ith the majethty of Hippogriff-land?" [/colour][colour=#ffffff]She paused a moment, introspectively.[/colour] [colour=#ffa500]"Heck, where is Hippogriff-land? I've never met a Hippogriff before!"[/colour]

​

[RarityDash]

[colour=#000000]Vivid was surprised to see Silver Flash reply to her so readily, and especially in such a ridiculous way. No matter, all she could do was have Regalia respond accordingly. That's what this sort of "role playing" game was all about, right? She nodded to the pegasus and then then decided Regalia's response.[/colour]

​

[colour=#000000]Regalia stared at this mare disparagingly. She could tell this was not a mare of overwhelming class or character and her knowledge was furthermore somewhat lacking. She had always known tinkerers, as this mare with her wrench appeared to be, to knowledgeable, but perhaps the window of knowledge for some was a narrow one. She loathed to explain such simple things, but if she had to, she would.[/colour]

[colour=#00cccc]"Hippogriff land? Risible nonsense that is! There is no such place!"[/colour] [colour=#000000]Regalia said forcefully. [/colour][colour=#00cccc]"While my mother is of an Aquelian Royal line, this, my father's land, Equestria, is and always has been my home, our esteemed Princess Celestia my only sovereign. I brandish my blade against her enemies in her most honored name!"[/colour]

​

[Bramble Rose]

Silver Flash was simply delighted with the straight lines this hippogriff put forward. Ohhhhh, we just found Snicker Snack's straight mare, all right!

​

[colour=#ffffff]Snicker Snack let out an awed gasp, her eyes widening, sparkling with reflected light and sheer wonder. [/colour][colour=#ffa500]"Aquelian ... Royal .... "[/colour][colour=#ffffff] she started to breath, then paused, taking this moment to gather in all the glory of the next question. [/colour][colour=#ffa500]"Are you a PRINTHETH?!"[/colour]

​

[Davroth]

Drifting Veil blinked several times. Most of them were carrying themselves well, especially for first time players, but Sugar Rush showed clearly that he wasn't really accustomed to the unwritten rules of pen&paper role-play, and that was kind of to be expected. However, the way Alfalfa just "remembered" that the barkeeper owed him money made him wonder if Sugar Rush was doing it on purpose. He decided to keep a close eye on it. And not penalize him too harshly for it. He cleared his throat.

Ze elderly looking unicorn in ze corner finally takes notice of all of you, gesturing you to come clozer to ze table. He seemed to have listened to your talking so far, and seems amused, his face furrowed with deep wrinkles zat you can only assume came from smiling a lot. Now zat you are closer, you can see that a grey cloak covers most of his body, all the way down to his legs, even covering up his cutie mark. Ze barkeeper takes zis moment to remember Alfalfa zat the innkeeper iz still waiting for his room rent for ze last few days.

​

Drifting Veil took this moment to roll a bunch of dice behind his dungeon master screen, and gave out folded piece of paper he had partially prepared earlier. He explained: "Zere are situations ven your character could notize somezing, but isn't actively looking for it. In zose cases I roll the dice, and based on your stats, I give you notes zat tell you vat and how much you noticed. You are free to share zat information in character wiz ze ozer players." He floated one note to each player, giving them a moment to read them, then continued.

Ze elderly stallion address you in a friendly, weak sounding voice: "I'm glad all of you decided to follow my call. I am Starbeard, and I hoofpicked ze four of you for a task. Zere is somezing very important zat needs to be done. Unfortunately I am old now, so I was hoping you four could help wiz zat." He leans clozer and continues a bit lower. "Ze fate of Equestria might depend on it." He leans on ze table, and now speaks in a normal tone again. "Are you interested? I offer a substantial reward, too..." He proceeds to look at you through his zick eyebrows, mustering each one of you.

​

Drifting Veil leaned on the table as well, looking through his notes, giving the others a chance to react.

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Sugar Rush listened for as long as he could to the other players. Until it was noted that two of the characters seemed to want to jus talk to each other. How boring. Sugar wanted to get to the meat of the action, he wanted to finally get a chance to use his arrows shooting skills. And while the others were talking he got to looking at his spell sheet, and looked at his pallette of abilities. So after Drifting gave his small explanation, Sugar reacted his character.[/colour]

[colour=#ffffff]Alfalfa drew an arrow and threw it into his bow and pointed it at the mysterious unicorn. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Give us this task, or die,"[/colour][colour=#ffffff] he says, while showing a concerned look for safety. He then jumped around the room and made a holding position, and then casts...[/colour]

​

[colour=#000000]Sugar Rush looked down on his sheet and read carefully...[/colour]

[colour=#ffffff]...obscuring mist![/colour]

​

​

[Davroth]

Drifting Veil was speechless for a moment. Was the green earth pony being serious here? He rubbed his eyes with one hoof, then put his glasses back on, sighing quietly.

Zick mist fills the room, obscuring everyone's vizion. Out of ze dark of ze corner behind ze unicorn, a fairly unimpressive looking piece of wood sprung into action, moving over the ground in snake speed, and....

​

Drifting made a two dice rolls.

...trips up Alfalfa, causing him to fall to ze ground, his arrow falling ineffectually to ze ground.

Wiz a determined movement of his horn, a warm glow shines zrough ze mist, dispersing it almost instantly. Ze old unicorn laughs loudly and ernestly, some kind of metal jingling under his robes as the laughs shakes his body.

"Such youzful energy. Zat's one of ze reasons why I chose zat forest unicorn."

Ze piece of wood floats back to its corner, now looking like an ordinary stick again. He continued wiz a chuckle:

"Ze task is yours if you want it, but don't you want to know vat ze task is?"

​

Drifting Veil sat back. He'd have to keep a close look on Sugar Rush.

[Imagination]

Sketch understood well enough how this was going to work... And knew he probably shouldn't do anything to brash. Not at all. This was his first game, so he wasn't going to risk something like attacking the DMs character. Goodness no...

He head his note and proceeded with his turn...

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Solemn Vow came to... a rather confusing scene. A young man being tripped up by a pony who must be this taskmaster that left the note in his room. Ever the peace-maker, he approached the scene. He could understand the fire that burned in some stallions' chests. He had that same fire before he committed himself to the church. [colour=#ffffe0]"Come now, gentlecolts, there's no need for this senseless violence. We're here under common circumstances, are we not?"[/colour]

He could only assume that was the case, anyway. Once the mysterious pony stated he intended on giving them such a task, the priest spoke up once more, having examined a peculiar thing around his neck.[colour=#ffffe0] "We would be most honored to be of assistance... But... Surly you and your... associates... are far more able than us?"[/colour]

He didn't want to make a fuss by naming the sect this stallion must be a member of, as he knew they valued their secrecy. But, he was VERY curious as to why a member of the Order would be asking them to undertake something that he seemed sure was so important. Didn't they have ponies for that?

​

[RarityDash]

[colour=#000000]Vivid nodded at Veil as he handed her a note. Still trying to get a feel for how the game was played, she then waited a while to see how the others would react to everything that was happened. She was a novice but even she couldn't help but raise a claw to obscure her face at Sugar Rush's behavior. This was proving to be quite the ridiculous stallion. it was almost amusing. She had the smallest smile on her face about the time that she decided to have Regalia act some more.[/colour]

​

[colour=#000000]Regalia gave a short laugh at Snicker's question.[/colour] [colour=#00cccc]"I am indeed of the royal lineage, but as my mother and I were banished from the realm, any claim to the Aquelian throne I may have possessed is likely to remain void,"[/colour][colour=#000000] she said with a nod.[/colour] [colour=#00cccc]"No, it's best not to think of me as a princess but instead as a knight! I am a champion of this realm wielding her blade for Celestia!"[/colour]

[colour=#000000]The hippogriff mare went quiet and listened as the hooded unicorn then introduced himself as Starbeard. Apparently they were hoof selected by this stallion for his task. How curious. By Regalia's reckoning it was just chance that had her in this town. Were other forces truly at work or was this shady character trying to sell them on a con. Regalia had no way of knowing, but she had her doubts.[/colour]

[colour=#00cccc]"Hmm... how do we--"[/colour] [colour=#000000]she raised her voice to question the pony, but before she could say anymore she was cut off suddenly by some rather bizarre commotion. One of the other "hoofpicked" champions this stallion was keen to trust with the "fate of Equestria" drew his weapon upon the elder stallion the produced a mist with a spell. Regalia could not believe her eyes. She could only assume this other stallion to be of unsound mind.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]"Youthful energy" is what the hooded stallion came up with when it became apparent that this lunatic act by one of his hoofpicked few was a strain on the credibility of his story. Regalia didn't know what to think, but she was unamused. She was a knight of the kingdom. It was not her business to entertain fools. If this unicorn didn't make his point quick her interest would not hold.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Sense returned to the conversation in the form of the priest, who unlike the others spoke and carried himself with dignity. At his words, the hippogriff eased up some and gave a sigh.[/colour] [colour=#00cccc]"The esteemed cleric here is right to ask questions. Taken at face, your story stands infirm. What is this great task of yours and why does it fall on us? Who exactly are you and how did you find out about us?"[/colour]

[colour=#00cccc]"if you take me as some fool you can set upon a silly little errand you are mistaken. I am a noble knight of the realm. I will not sell my honor for some vague talk of fates or a promise of reward,"[/colour] [colour=#000000]Regallia said with emphasis, ending on a proud nod.[/colour]

​

[Davroth]

Drifting Veil rubbed his temples with his hooves. It was hard to keep the credibility of his characters intact when you had someone jump around making vague threats. He'd just have to move along, and hope he could salvage this situation the best he could.

Ze hooded figure seemed to grow in his seat and stared intently at ze assambled group, who were now the only patrons left in ze tavern. Under his wrinkles and thick eyebrows lay wake eyes, glinting uncharacteristically wake for someone his age. As he spoke, his voice seem to boom more then before.

"Don't take me as a conjurer of cheap tricks, Lady Regalia. Doubting an old unicorn without even hearing his story. Is that a noble thing to do? I have my reasons why I chose the four of you, and if you take a moment to listen to vat I have to say, then you'll surely understand zat as well."

He sat back, his slightly threatening demeanor disappearing completely again.

"I spend a lot of time studying old scriptures and record, and upon recently, I found tales of an anctient treasure, locked away by an old clan of mountain ponies. Zeir mines are long abondened. But I haf reason to believe that ze treasure is still zere. Alledgedly, it's an artefact of great power, somezing that could cause great damage in ze wrong hoofs. So I made it my goal to keep it safe somewhere, by giving it to ze Order of Celestia. And as for why I don't do it myself, zere are powers out zere who would ask questions should I just disappear on an adventure. And zere are people who I could ask, but I can't trust zose wiz this task, for reasons zat I cannot tell you."

He cleared his zroat.

"You four, on ze other hoof, I made a background check on, and you are trustworthy and capable enough to handle a situation as zis one. And noone would get suspicious if somepony like you would disappear for a few days having an adventure. It's common zese days.

Now, what you need to do is retrieving a key and securing ze artefact from ze mountain pony mine. Zere is a tower ruin nearby vere I suspect ze key to be. I haf no idea vat it looks like, but it's made from finest marble. After you found ze key, zere is an abondened mine in ze mountains to ze east. Wiz the key, you can make your way into ze inner sanctum, and hopefully find ze artefact, and zen hand it over to ze Order of Celestia. Zen you'll recieve ze rest of your reward. I got half of it here right now, should you decide to take up ze task.

Feel free to ask me questions about ze task before you decide."

​

Drifting Veil sat back, hoping that this adventure wouldn't fall apart at the quest hook. That would be rather embarressing.

[Bramble Rose]

Silver Flash's eyes sparkled with bright amusement at Vigil's response. Unfortunately, the game continued, others impatient to get started, but Silver allowed Snicker Snack to deliver one more whisper, just loud enough for Vigil to hear it, despite Drifting Veil's raised voice - an awestruck, breathy whisper.

​

[colour=#ffa500]"A Printheth in exile!"[/colour]

​

Then she leaned back, laughing softly at Sugar Rush's enthusiasm. Luckily, Drifting Veil seemed to know a pretty good tack to take on this one, not missing a beat. Good DM, this one. Lots of them would have been completely thrown by such an outrageous response. She waited till after the DM was done delivering his speech, then leaned over to pat Sugar's shoulder. [colour=#008080] "Don't worry,"[/colour] she said to him in quiet aside, [colour=#008080]"We'll have enemies aplenty for you to dull your arrows against. No need to threaten ponies to do what they're already going to do!"[/colour] She gave him a lil' wink and a grin, reassuring him in case his feelings were hurt by the DM's swift beat-down upon Alfalfa, and then turned back to Drifting Veil and dropped into character again.

​

[colour=#ffa500]"If thith artifact ith ath dangerouth ath you thay, then we would be good to be careful. You might be the wrong hooveth, and thending uth on thith quetht tho you can thteal it from uth! I think you would be glad we are cautiouth, if it ith ath important ath all that!"[/colour]

[colour=#ffffff]Snicker Snack thumped her hoof on the table to accentuate the comment, nodding firmly. [/colour] [colour=#ffa500]"Regardleth, I am thure I am likely to take thith quetht, but there's a few vague thingth I'd like to have taken care of. Half now, half later, that'th thtandard, but half of ... what? How much are you going to pay uth, pluth expentheth, for thith tathk you thet upon uth? Do you know where we need to go, and will provide uth a map? Or do we have to thearch through old librarieth to find the clueth ourthelveth? Are any otherth theeking thith macguffin out?"[/colour]

​

Silver Flash panted softly, her tongue feeling numb from all the lisping. OK, maybe she should have picked a different way to express Snicker's low charisma!

​

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]As Sugar's character's efforts were futile against Drifting Viel's authority, he could see now that this wasn't going to be as fun as he thought it was going to be. He was going to speak up, but other characters started their intros and dialog with the mysterious unicorn.[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]Mysterious Unicorn. Pfft.[/colour] [colour=#ffffff]Alfalfa didn't like him already.[/colour] [colour=#ff0000]Old stallion crazy unicorn. Probably wants to kill us.[/colour] [colour=#ffffff] Instead of retaliating, as he normally would, Alfalfa took a seat at the table and listened. [/colour] [colour=#ff0000]"What is it you want?"[/colour]

​

[colour=#000000]Sugar stared straight at Drifting Veil, not lifting an eyebrow for released expression. His brow was so flat, no drop of sweat from excitement would have a change of rolling in any direction. His glare was only interrupted by the occasional blink. Silver nudged Sugar and tried to encourage him telling him that he would have future attacking encounters. He didn't say anything in return, but finally took his eyes off of Drifting in order to roll his eyes with ample attitude.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Sugar Rush listened to the characters, and when it was Silver's turn, Sugar's face cringed with every lisp exaggerated in the dialog. He was about to snap until he understood what Snicker Snack was saying.[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]"Yeah. We need to get paid! A lot of money, and up front too! My talent doesn't come cheap."[/colour]

​

​

[Davroth]

Drifting Veil sighed quietly. Strictly speaking, a forest unicorn shouldn't have a concept of bits, but that wouldn't work for Sugar Rush. But that wasn't too much of a problem, even if he had hoped the young, energetic earth pony would be able to feel himself into the role after a while... Well, maybe there was still time for that.

"Off course!" ze old unicorn said, "No, my hoofs are definitely not ze right ones, but time iz of ze essence here. Zere are dark powers searching for ze artefakt as we speak, powers zat seek to overzrow ze royal family and seize control of zis land. I did as much research for you as I could. Here, I brought a map."

A piece of parchment appeared from under his robe wiz a magic glow, landing on ze table. "I marked zose two spots: Zis is ze tower ruin, two days of travel away from here in a remote part of ze eastern forests. In zere, somewhere, ze key must be hidden, if my research is correct. It haz ze shape of a cylinder and iz most likely made from some kind of metal or stone, as most mountain pony keys are.

And zis is ze old mountain pony mine. It's vast and deep and probably still filled wiz old, half functional traps and ozer dangers. But nozing you couldn't handle. Once you retrieve ze artefakt, just hand if over to ze order of ze sun. It should be no problem for Solemn Vow to get in contact wiz zem ven you have such a potentially dangerous item in your possession." He laughs drily.

"I offer you a reward of 1000 bits each now, and another 1000 bits ven you hand ze artefakt over into safe hoofs."

​

Drifting Veil interjected. "Zat is a handsome reward. It's enouf to live a moderate life for a good year. Zat is to say, it's good payment for vat sounds like a bit more zen a monz of adventuring."

"Now, ze choice is yours, of course. If you don't vant to do it, I vill be forced to look for someone else who vill."

​

[Bramble Rose]

Silver Flash felt a slow smile drifting across her lips. Ah, now we got down to it! And he hadn't called her to task on her "Plus Expenses" remark, which was an implicit agreement.

Of course, now what to do? A thousand gold ... that was good for bumping them up to the level 2 wealth range ... two thousand, slightly less than level 3. A decent chunk of change for first-level adventurers such as themselves. And one which would probably widen their eyes. But on the other hoof, they were going after a priceless and super-powerful artifact? If they brought it to the bad guys - not that they ever would - but if they did, they could probably get two hundred thousand for it, easily. Eight thousand versus two hundred thousand... Her first instinct was to haggle. Spurs and Stones! She used Charisma as her dump stat, and didn't have ths skills for it! And their charisma-monkey was all noble and probably wouldn't haggle this at all!

Well, OK, then. Time to haggle BADLY. Maybe Drifting Veil would buy it ...

[colour=#ffffff]Snicker Snack's eyes widened at the amount. 2000, plus expenses? That would keep her in food and shelter for quite a while, sure - but when it came down to needing supplies for her projects, she really needed more than that... and this artifact sounded really, really valuable!

With a sly grin, she leaned forward over the table. [/colour] [colour=#ffa500]"Now, now. I'll be helping, of courth, but two thouthand each, pluth expentheth, that'th not much for an artifact of thith caliber. We could get fifteen timeth that amount eathy, if we brought it to market. Now, I know there'th more than money involved here - no doubt the thafety of all ponykind lieth on our headth - but I'm thure you can do better than that to keep our purtheth lined! Mama needth a new thet of hydrothpannerth! Now, it doethn't have to be more money - thome better gear or convenient magic itemth to thtart uth poor, impovershed ponieth on our way would probably be jutht fine. After all, that would make it more likely we'll thucceed!"[/colour]

​

Maybe that would pull the DM in. What DM didn't like to roll on the treasure tables?

​

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Sugar Rush admittingly zoned out of the boring details of whatever mission was being asked of them. Until of course, it was told that a total of two thousand bits would be payment for the job, including reimbursements. Sugar's eyes turned to stars. Finally he could use his character without the limitation of not having money.[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]"Barkeep! Yeah, you. Give us a round of drinks, I'll buy."[/colour] [colour=#ffffff]Alfalfa was smart so he also said,[/colour] [colour=#ff0000]"Oh and get me a special drink that gives me thirty plus damage from bladebows. Thank You."[/colour]

​

​

[Imagination]

Sketch didn't know how currency worked in this game... Not yet. What if 1000 bits was chump change in this game? Though he doubted it. In reality he'd kill for 1000 bits. Or try to. But it seemed the DM's character was offering more than that! Given his fellow player's reaction, he figured a 'shooting-down' so to speak was in order from the karmic character:

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[colour=#ffffe0]"N-Now see here-!"[/colour] The cleric quickly interjected, speaking specifically to the one called Snicker Snack,[colour=#ffffe0] "This gentlecolt is offering a fair sum to we strangers, and it is clearly of great importance! It could be a HOLY relic, paying tribute to our glorious sovereignty, and her guiding sun! We could never hoof-over an object of such power to some common shop-keep!" [/colour]He took great offense to the black market trade of holy artifacts, though that was likely to be expected. Treasure Hunters and the like he usually distrusted, but he knew the order always did their best to try and recover such artifacts if they got into the wrong hooves.

[colour=#ffffe0]"I for one am very grateful for this opportunity you present us, Sir. Your bounty would make a generous donation to the church, and-"[/colour]

​

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But Sketch returned, just remembering something. He had heard of... rolls, that players would have to make if they wanted to do something, like talk a pony out of something. "Uhhh... Drifting? Do I have to roll dice or something for Solemn to do that...? Like, Charisma or something?"

He was still learning the game, but asking questions was the best way, in his opinion, to learn!

[RarityDash]

[colour=#000000]The game was moving well, it seemed. Vivid was kind of surprised. it was a little faster paced than she had anticipated. It was going to keep her on her hooves for sure. She was rather surprised by how fun it was so far. She was not a mare who typically indulged in this sort of play; it was all too easy for her to let herself get carried away. Smiling softly, she did her best to keep up.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Regalia listened closely as the hooded unicorn told his story. Something about it still seemed suspect to her. Why them? Why now if this artefact was something long storied? It didn't all add up, and Regalia was no foal. All the same, what if it were true? What if this artefact was responsible for great destruction? What if this was the only chance to stop it? What if Regalia chose to pass it up? She would never be able to forgive herself. For a protector such as herself, to stand idle before evil was the same as committing evil herself. No, hearing this she had to offer her sword. It was her obligation to Celestia and to the realm.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]She continued to listen to the discussion as it proceeded, giving the others all a chance to speak. As a natural leader, it was important for her to keep a pulse on the group and making sure she knew where they were coming from. Her assessment of the group changed little as they spoke. This Snicker Snack revealed herself to be the unscrupulous sort only concerned with coin. The strange forest unicorn continued to prove himself to be very likely utterly insane. The priest remained the voice of reason: just, upright and dedicated to his church. She nodded at his words.[/colour]

[colour=#00cccc]"Indeed,"[/colour] [colour=#000000]she said, looking at Solemn.[/colour] [colour=#00cccc]"If this artefact has the potential to do harm to this realm or her citizens, it is our duty to see that threat extinguished. It should be enough to act in the cause of virtue! Good deeds needn't be measured in coin."[/colour]

[colour=#000000]She turned to the hooded one and gave another nod. [/colour][colour=#00cccc]"If what you say is true then I see no reason to refuse your request. I shall lead this sordid band to complete this task and insure that righteousness prevails in the end."[/colour]

​

​