Ponies & Dragons - Episode 1: A Tail of Two Cities

[Trilobite]

Ironmane followed right beside him, running into the doorframe as a result and knocking a drift of snow loose.

[Kirby Krackle]

More snow fell thanks to pony number three. Why? The room was still wibbly-wobbly to him after the one mug and his legs decided to not work as a unit this moment. Curtain Call stumbled and stumbled hard, gracefully landing face first into white powder. Maybe he muttered "I meant to do that". Who knows? He's in the snow.

[Trilobite]

"[colour=#800080]Oh, by the Mercy of the Princesses, Curtain Call, you are in no fit state to walk anywhere.[/colour]" The palladin turned around and grabbed the stallion by the nape of his neck and hoisted him up onto her back. "[colour=#800080]Tell me, T. Ali, does your holy order have a prohibition against intoxicants?[/colour]"

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble reached up with a corner of his cloak to brush the snow off of Curtain Call's face, and Thorn Blossom, her assorted wooden bits pulled tightly together and her blossom closed and tucked down against the cold, stood in the way to make a windbreak as Bramble carefully got rid of all the clinging wet bits. [colour=#696969]"Ah, Curtain, I didn't know you were a lightweight,"[/colour] Bramble gave a faint chuckle. Of course, it'd been a long time, himself, since his Frat days, so he wasn't sure how well he could put it away, either... but back in the day, he'd actually used his tiny form to advantage when ponies thought he couldn't have too high a tolerance. He couldn't win any serious drinking contests, but he'd won his fair share of wagers! He smiled fondly as he finished up with cleaning Curtain up, remembering how many times he'd done this for his frat brothers.

Still, not time for reminiscence.

[colour=#696969]"All right, ummm..."[/colour] He peered arond, orienting himself, and then followed the Barkeep's directions to make his way through the small village, tilting his head back to peer carefully up at each of the shingles as they passed, looking for the furrier's.

​

[TortoiseShell]

Ali sighs as she stands up, not wanting to leave the warmth of the building. She walks slower than usual as the buzz clears from her mind, but stable otherwise. She flits her wings just a bit to fly over Curtain Call being picked up out of the snow, resisting the urge to laugh. She then perks her eyes up as Ironmane addresses her.

[colour=#0000ff]"Are you kidding? This is Commander Hurricane we're talking about. He loves a good party as much as anyone else. Of course, the old bitties who live at the monastery think alcohol is Discord's Juice, but there's no rules against it."[/colour]

[Kirby Krackle]

For a split second, Curtain Call had a drastic urge to toss his Hay, Lettuce and Tomato. Why was everything upside down? He did not appreciate everything being upside down. Then, just as suddenly, the universe righted itself again and apologized with a warm something to lie on and a sweet perfume that reminded him of... Lilacs? Vanilla? Oh, he didn't know perfumes. He just knew what smells good. And wherever he was resting at the moment, with hooves dangling off the ground, smelled wonderful. And it felt like it smelt. Something akin to a sturdy oak wrapped in velour. Perfect for either snuggletime or laying siege to an enemy stronghold. Then his platform was mobile and started chastising him. Why did that nagging sound familiar?

Oh bother. It's Ironmane, isn't it? His first thoughts were an immediate 'ABANDON SHIP' and were he just a little less intoxicated, he could probably back flip off her. Instead was childish flailing. Speaking of childish, the only snappy retort to Bramble was "[colour=#006400]No, you're a lightbright.[/colour]"

Finally, he found the term 'Discord's Juice' absolutely hilarious. All of Equestria must laugh with him.

[Trilobite]

"[colour=#800080]Well, I suppose I appreciate a good social lubricant as much as anypony else, but one must not lose one's composure.[/colour]" A magic aura the colour of cinnamons and roses lifted an intricately brocaded blanket from her saddlebags and settled it over Curtain Call. Noting Bramble Roses's upward gaze, she said, "[colour=#800080]My dear T. Ali, I wonder if you would be so kind as to keep an aerial watch? It seems our leader is not entirely sure about this area, and over the years I have learned to trust his instincts.[/colour]"

[TortoiseShell]

[colour=#0000cd]"Of course!" [/colour]Ali shakes her back a little to try to fluff up her hair for some warmth, then hops up and into the sky enough to see over the rooftops but can still hear her comrades speak.

[Bramble Rose]

(operating off the earlier decision of 'no roleplaying the shopping trip, let's just get to the forest')

The furrier was a wizened little old pony with a pale blue mane and a faded green coat, his cutie mark hidden under the layers of fifteen different sorts of furs draped around him. Despite this, and his raging fire, he shivered against the cold and quickly begged you all to "Close the door! Hurry!" He got up, peering myopically at each of you in turn, before asking, [colour=#008000]"How many, then?"[/colour] He set to work finding cloaks and barding of the right size, garbing you all in comfy clothes of the colours of your choosing, though he tried to push a lovely pink cloak with white trim on Curtain Call [colour=#008000]'for such a lovely young filly'[/colour] and patted Iron Mane on the plot as he declared that your[colour=#008000] 'strapping stallion'[/colour] here would absolutely love it on you. He also peered confusedly up at Thorn Blossom and apologized that he didn't know if he had furs big enough, but he'd try to make do ... and mumbled incessently under his breath about[colour=#008000] 'big pony, aren't you? goodness, you're frozen through and through, come closer to the fire'[/colour] - Thorn Blossom was a bit hesitant about getting any closer to fire, but stepped a couple steps closer nonetheless - plants do not do well in cold. [colour=#008000]"Don't talk much, do you? No worries, I talk enough for five ponies, I'm told."[/colour] And indeed, the muttering little old pony didn't shut up to let you get more than a couple words in edgewise the entire time.

It's not long before you're all garbed in the finest of furs (8 gold each), and on your way into the cold again. Bramble didn't need a new fur, his enchanted armor doing him just fine, but Thorn Blossom had fur of pure white settled about her like a cloak, draped over her head, and completely hiding the pink blossom tucked behind one ear. Upon returning to the bar, the old barkeep is ready - he's wearing scale armor, the scales obviously old, some of them rusted, and in a patchwork of different metals as he's obviously had to replace damaged ones with whatever was at hand. One has to wonder if any of them are from the original armor. His axe, however, is less slapdash - a fine adamantite handle with a mythril head, the shining face of it carved with snowflakes. A faint mist hovers around it, and as such, around the barkeep himself, bringing a faint chill even indoors. He kisses his wife's cheek, bids the bar to mind themselves, and that they can break all the tables they want, but he'll crack their skulls if their fights ruin his bar, and then steps out into the blowing snow with you.

It's not more than half an hour later when you crest over a ridge and see a gorgeous evergreen forest, garbed in shining ice, stretching out over the tundra before you. It seems to give off rainbows in the sunlight as you stand there, watching, the layer of ice covering every branch and needle refracting every which way, so gorgeous it hurts the eyes. [colour=#008080]"Ah, th' crystal forest,"[/colour] the old man says with satisfaction, seeing your faces,[colour=#008080] "An ancient and wonderous forest, home to many unique species of plants an' animals. We've scholars an' alchemists an' wizards comin' out this way every year huntin' down some rare bit of this an' that. It's a very well-known and well-traveled forest, ah've lived in it most of mah life. Be able to lead you around every danger an' every threat..."[/colour] He took a sharp left and led you over another ridge. [colour=#008080]"Too bad that's not th' forest we're lookin' for!"[/colour]

Over the next ridge, in the opposite direction from the lovely crystaline forest, is its exact opposite - withered trees, reaching up towards the air, and somehow, though covered in ice, it's dark - in fact, the ice itself is somehow tainted, looking inky. [colour=#008080]"Th' Forest of Black Ice,"[/colour] declares your guide. [colour=#008080] "Only fools and madmen go in there! I suppose I count as an old fool..."[/colour]

[Kirby Krackle]

Curtain Call was quick to sober up. A senile old coot blindly assuming he was a girl might have had something to do with it. Or maybe it was this no-good geriatric slapping Ironmane on the behind! His teeth grinding as it happened. The little scoundrel tried his absolute best to assure himself that he was a better stallion than he actually was; a stallion of such high caliber that would absolutely never dream of taking this old fool outside where his party wouldn't see and give him the business end of a snow shovel. A few deep breaths settled his nerves and only a little animosity could be heard in his voice as he requested his cloak to be as white as the falling snow. He meant what he said and said what he meant. Any other colour in this frozen north and the stealth expert would stick out like cauliflower ear. He also resisted shoving the gold pieces owed down the furrier's throat. Such self restraint should earn him praise. Maybe a medal.

In no time at all, he and his team and their guide and his axe marched through a level of winter Curtain Call didn't think possible. There was an unearthly beauty to it all, certainly, and he would have stopped to appreciate the delicate play of light and crystal, were he not dwelling on the crack of hoof meeting plot. That wretched sound simply would not leave him! Over and over he could hear it, so much so that he didn't notice his teeth still grinding.

'This won't do at all', he silently reprimanded. 'Be furious later. You're on the clock now'.

"[colour=#006400]Fillies. Gentlecolts. It's time I disappeared. Not too far out of reach. Know that I'll be watching your backs.[/colour]"

A tip of his hat to bid them adieu then leaped into the brush, fading to white. He kept pace with the rest, never letting them out of sight for more than a moment at a time as he dragged his hooves through the snow in search of ambush. He wanted to think that this was only habit now; that he was just being paranoid. Then he and his party reached the spooky part of the forest.

(( Perception is +5 and Stealth is +7. It's nice to type numbers again. ))

[Trilobite]

Ironmane had been mistaken for a stallion before. Her usual response, which was to speak in her clearest, most ladylike diction, was typically sufficient. This old pony, though, seemed to be so enjoying company that she didn't want either to interrupt nor dissilusion the fellow. She reddened and gasped at the swat, but bit her lip and bided her time.

"[colour=#800080]What a charming bit of local colour,[/colour]" she tried, her laugh obviously forced. "[colour=#800080]Now then, Bramble Rose, how shall we proceed? Our most excellent scout is performing his duties...what of the rest of us?[/colour]"

[TortoiseShell]

Ali borrows Curtain Call's butterfly knife to rip open slits for her wings in the cloak, then shimmies it over her back. Much better. She hovers along with the group, keeping her hooves off the cold ground and keeping an eye on their surroundings from above.

(( Cast Detect Evil ))

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble Rose nodded to Curtain Call - [colour=#808080]"Just make sure that if you find something, you come back - I've got some magic that'll help you be even stealthier when we reach ... wherever we're going."[/colour] Then he looked to the other three. [colour=#808080]"All right, same as last time... though only Iron Mane was there, then. Curtain and I will scout forward to see what we can see. Hurricane, I'd love to have you scouting above, but we don't want anything to see you and thus betray our presence. Could you take a thirty-second zip up into the sky and let us know if you see any structures we could aim for? If so, we'll head for it - if not, our guide here will lead us further in."[/colour]

Then, he too faded off into the snowy forest, Thorn Blossom disappearing along with him. (Stealth: +7, Perception: +7) (Thorn Blossom - Stealth: +6, Perception: +8 )

​
(I'm giving a +2 circumstance bonus to stealth for having appropriately coloured cloaks, offset by the -2 circumstance bonus for trying to stealth through noisy snow.)

( Curtain Call: Stealth roll: 18 + 7 = 25. Perception natural 20 + 5 = 25. )
( Bramble Rose: Stealth roll: 13 + 7 = 20. Perception 7 + 7 = 14. )
( Thorn Blossom: Stealth roll: 7 + 6 = 13. Perception 2 + 8 = 10. )

As they disappear into the forest, Hurricane Ali assenses the forest... the already dark forest seems to dim, as if it rejects the light coming down from above, the lurking sense of malice seeming almost palpable to the cleric. While not crying out its villainy, what sections of the dark forest Ali can assense is certainly seeped with corruption, leaving her feeling unclean just for having mentally touched upon it.

Curtain Call is feeling especially clear-minded today. The snow barely crunches underfoot, and he notices every little detail. That hillock there, that might have some beast under it, lying in wait. That attractive clear spot under those trees? Too attractive. Avoid it. obviously, the hood on this cloak is acting as a very stylish stealth hat.

Bramble Rose and Thorn Blossom are doing less well. His hooves don't even leave prints in the pristine snow, though Thorn Blossom's trail leads behind them. Plants bend out of his way, declining to scratch or rustle. And yet, Curtain Call is still being quieter even than Bramble - and especially than Thorn, whose massive wooden paws obviously aren't used to snow and are crunching loudly every so often. Then there's the threats... the sudden flurry of a sharp-toothed rabbit exploding out from under the snow, hissing, and then sprinting away from Thorn Blossom's low, menacing growl. Stepping under an overhanging set of branches keeping the snow off, a flock of dark-feathered birds with red wingtips go flying up into the air, letting out a series of caws.

​

[Trilobite]

Ironmane tromps through the forest, pushing aside undergrowth and low-hanging branches. She keeps a sharp eye out, looking off to the left and right. She and Bramble have played this game before; she draws attention, he looks after her. It goes against her instincts, not being the one to watch over her smaller companion, but experiences allows her to keep her unease somewhat in check. Still, she's visibly nervous, and when a scorpion scuttles out from under a long she'd been about to step over, she rears back, letting out a loud, startled snort.

(Spot roll please!)

[Bramble Rose]

(( oof, unskilled, huh? roll: 3 + 1 = 4. She ain't seein' nuthin' ))

Iron mane was lucky to see the Scintillating Scorpion, the creature seeming carved entirely out of ice - a pale blue crystaline arachnid that could be seen through, though the things on the far side were distorted by its flat planes. It snapped its little claws threateningly at Iron Mane, standing boldly in front of the rotted out black log as if daring her to come any closer!

[Trilobite]

"[colour=#800080]Ooh...beautiful...in its way...I suppose...[/colour]" Ironmane's wrinkled nose gave the lie to her words as she carefully stepped around the thing, watching it the whole while. Thereafter she kept a close eye out for such creatures and their dreadful ilk, prancing around every bit of debris and detritus that might contain a scuttling surprise.

[TortoiseShell]

[colour=#0000ff]"Right, structures."[/colour] Ali flies up higher and does a slow 360 over the forest, trying to find some building that might be a suitable meeting place.

(( Perception please ))

[Kirby Krackle]

Since when am I in the habit of grinding my teeth, Curtain Call wondered? Sure, the crunch being made by Bramble and his attack dog was making his blood boil. And there was still leftovers from that old codger that... nevermind. Stop grinding your teeth, Curtains. A few precious observations later and he was back to his group, though he did have to figure out a polite way to return to plain sight without giving heart attacks. He decided to, in the thirty seconds he spent thinking about it, to instead just give out heart attacks. Let chaos rain.

A soft little "[colour=#006400]Boo[/colour]" went into Ironmane's ear, barely a whisper. Then he was gone again, only to reappear nice and casual in front of the party. He waved his hat first from out of a bush first. Nice and non-threatening. Then he hopped out once no giant axes were coming at his foreleg. A quick chat with Bramble and the trusty guide followed, making crude illustrations in the snow of what he observed. Where they could go and, more importantly, where they shouldn't.

Then he was off again, but not before noticing that Pegasi looked nice on take-off.

(( Same numbers as last time. Second verse same as the first! ))

[Trilobite]

Ironmane nearly clobbered the rascal, rearing up and brandishing her forehooves before he reappeared in front of the party. Her face transformed in an instant, from a mask of war to a smile that wouldn't be out of place at a royal ball, but then he was gone again. Such skill! The big destrier walked a little more comfortably after that, reminded that at least three friends were close by in case she ran into any more awful bugs.

(No spot roll, no stealth!)

[Bramble Rose]

(( Iron Mane and Hurricane Ali - it would help if you gave me your numbers when you asked for a roll! ))

(( Hurricane Ali: Perception roll 9 + 5 = 14 ))

Hurricane flies over the forest at a low altitude, eyes skimming across the treetops, looking for something taller than them, something without the drape of decaying lichen, and she spots it, in the distance - something with the straight lines of a ponymade structure. A tower, just barely topping the forest, made of black stone.

(( Not going to make you roll again after the first one, Curtain Call! ))

As Curtain Call makes his way through the forest, his senses alert to every noise and clue, he hears the plaintive cry of a critter in pain. Following the noise, he starts to see something odd - small birds, rabbits, squirrels, and other small creatures encased in dark-veined ice. He sees into a clearing, where a small, pale blue and white mottled lizard is limping its way through the snow, trailing one leg uselessly behind it.

The ice-encased critters on his nerves, Curtain stays stealthy for just a moment longer - and a pair of the black birds with red wingtips flutter into the clearing, circling round the wounded little lizard. They let out a couple of caws, and one of them flies low over the lizard, pecking at it fiercely and making it cry even louder in pain. The second bird flies down towards the lizard -

And it suddenly rears up on its no longer wounded leg, letting out a hiss, mist seeping from its mouth for a moment before a blast of icy blue energy shoots from it to strike the bird, knocking it into a tumble from the air to land heavily in the snow. Mist seeps out from around the clearing, and dozens of the little lizards emerge from under the snows, letting out their hisses and breathing a cloud of mist together. Curtain can feel the air around him get even colder than it already was, even through Bramble's spell - and when the icy blue light stops firing, there are two new crystaline cages in the clearing, the birds completely encased in the smokey ice.

Curtain is easily able to stealth away from this ambush site ... and that's when he hears the same wounded-animal cry from a distance, back behind him - somewhere near where he left the Paladin.

Iron Mane - you hear the pained cry of a critter in agony not far ahead of you.

[Trilobite]

Ironmane, hearing the sad, desperate call, pushes on with determination, shouldering brambles and branches out of her path, stomping through undergrowth and crystals of beautiful ice with a tremendous racket.

[Kirby Krackle]

Curtain Call would be the first to admit that he's cityfolk. Oh, sure, nature has its moments. Sleeping outside under a blanket of stars is wonderful in small doses. Spring water? No substitute. But its too random out there. No real structure to it. Or no structure he can understand, anyway. There is simply too much that can get out of hoof. Buildings have floor plans. Lamplighters have schedules. (Most) Pubs have standards and practices of the food they serve. Brick and mortar can keep away the majority of creatures who might fancy pony stew for dinner. So no, Curtain Call doesn't enjoy nature, but he does appreciate and respect it. The ambush predator, for instance, is something he admires. Solitary. Camouflaged. No need to be faster or stronger. All that needs to be done is to sit and wait for something less clever come along and make the mistake of their life.

So, were he not feeling a deathly cold at the moment, he might have stayed a little longer to stand in awe of this frozen monster. How simple it is to play possum and let the curiosity/kindness of others come back to bite them. And oh, the times he's employed this tactic. So, the cunning rogue bowed to his peer (still out of sight. He's not a lunatic) before adding this location to the many his team should avoid.

Then he heard it. The achingly similar cries of a killer playing possum. It was then that his heart froze. Ironmane is exactly the kind of dope who would fall for such a ploy. He was off immediately, at a full gallop but still mindful of how and where to move. He could not fail her. He would never forgive himself. "[colour=#006400]Luna[/colour]," he prayed. His mind was so frantic, he didn't even notice who he was praying to. "[colour=#006400]Please let me save her![/colour]"

[Bramble Rose]

(( The lizard was more attracting predators to freeze, not kind critters, but I see what you did there. Curtain Call's high scores in his scouting, by the way, ensure that he *will* get there in time to save Ironmane. How 'just barely' is up to you guys. ))

[Trilobite]

Ironmane leaps through a thicket, scattering frozen shards and trailing a wake of snow. Both of them catch the light around her, creating a momentary halo that silhouettes her form as it glides through the air. She lands and skids to a halt, throwing back her mane to clear it. "[colour=#800080]HALT, EVILDOERS![/colour]"

[TortoiseShell]

Ali grins to herself as she spots a dark, shiny tower straight ahead, but quite a bit away. Finally, she has something useful to share! [colour=#0000ff]"Hey guys! There's a tow--" [/colour]She stops when she realizes she's talking to herself. Where did everybody go? She flies up a bit to scan for her comrades. Ali faintly hears Ironmane's shouting and then spots the big red pony amongst the crystalline forest. Ali assumes dive-bomb position and swoops toward Ironmane.