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

[Trilobite]

Ironmane doesn't quite shudder, but she does suddenly take an interest in the surrounding territory.

[TortoiseShell]

Ali's ears perk up at the chance to be helpful again. She is starting to feel more and more like a tagalong who is just playing detective with a group of hardened adventurers. A few times she considered just packing it in and heading home. Yes, she can fly, but it didn't really seem to be doing much good so far.

[colour=#0000cd]"Yes! Yes, I do..." [/colour]She settles on the ground and focuses her attention around the cave, trying to feel out any magical traps or protection that might work against their party.

(( Detect Magic - sorry, I can't easily find if you need a specific modifier! ))

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble watches Curtain Call confusedly as he scrambles about, getting long, stout branches, at first not entirely certain what the stagepony has in mind. Then his eyes light up as it comes to him just what curtain is referencing. [colour=#808080] "That's a pretty good plan!"[/colour] he whispers, and lowers his head - his mutable armor shifts to its normal form, that of stiffened leaves wrapped snugly round his form, and then those leaves darken as they shift into a woody texture, making Bramble seem wrapped in bark. Sleeves lengthen down along his legs, brightening to a brassy shine, giving him a fairly close colouration, except where his purple face pokes out the front. The armor twitches a little bit, as if trying to extend those extra four legs... but the simple enchantment just isn't able to stretch that far.

It takes a minute or so for Bramble to explain it to Blossom, but finally the Timber Wolf seems to get it ... or at least, her head perks up in understanding. Then she collapses into a pile of kindling and firewood with a faint clatter. The wood twitches and shivers, and then re-arranges itself, Blossom's head coming up out of the pile, but the wooden chunks making up her form rearranged into a much tinier body, and eight long, spidery legs. The new giant wood spider carefully walks up and down the small clearing, trying to get the hang of having so many legs. Then she gives Bramble a dour glare, obviously not happy with this arrangement.

Bramble steps up to Curtain to get fitted for his new painted wooden limbs...

​

(( I've done secret rolls for all the disguise checks ... ))

Meanwhile, Ali has been studying the surrounding area, murmuring prayers to Commander Hurricane, granting her the ability to see magical auras... slowly, the glows come into view before her eyes - a faint aura around the tower itself, and stronger auras around each of the animated workers.

(( Sadly, Ali doesn't have any spellcraft ... but with a straight-up int check, she got 11 and 17. ))

The spells laid upon the brass and wood spiderants are too complex for Ali to make out, but she can tell that the aura over the tower is of a simple abjuration school - stronger around the door itself. Definitely some sort of protective spell, a very weak one, but she can't tell more than that.

[Kirby Krackle]

On second thought, did Curtain Call even have enough dyes to cover everypony? Did he even have enough dyes to cover Ironmane? The good news was there are multiple ways to make brown. The bad news was he might need to buy a completely new set of pigments after this. His climbing kit was next to suffer, but it was the only real source of rope in the collective inventory and it had to be died into four separate harnesses for the branches he collected. His budget was weeping. Still, there could be some fun in slathering gunk all over his friends' faces.

He did himself up first. First, to show how to properly apply contact lenses and bald caps. Secondly, his coat was monochrome. No foundation required. The little purple Unicorn on the other hoof needed to be dyed white before being dyed brown. At least Bramble needed only his face and hooves done, thanks to that extra special jacket of his. Up next was, and he dreaded this, Ironmane. She would need the most paint due to size and she was also probably still mad at him. Though, her armor had some excellent spots in which to strap fake legs. Finally, Tornado Ali. Her harness was a tricky one and he fiercely apologized for needing to bind her wings. To compromise, he used a different knot. In case of emergency, she could yank on one end by the teeth and be in the sky in seconds. Curtain Call has also never been so close to the Pegasus before. He whispered, more thinking aloud than anything, as he was applying more orange to her face, "[colour=#006400]Well, aren't you such a pretty little bluebird[/colour]". The idiot didn't even realize what he blurted out, but that's what immersion in work will do to a pony.

"[colour=#006400]One last word of warning: this paint is water soluble. I like it for those moments I need to... lose face, so to speak. But for right now, try not get splashed with anything. Anyway! How'd I do?[/colour]"

[TortoiseShell]

Ali's brows furrowed for a moment as she examined the tower. She wished she could tell more about the magic. [colour=#0000ff]"There is some kind of protection around the whole tower, more so at the door. I don't know what it is though, or what it might do if we go near it. I'm sorry, it's not entirely my area of expertise."[/colour]

Ali's cheeks turned as red as Ironmane as Curtain Call cooed at her. She was too shocked to respond. She winced a few times as he tied down her wings, and it felt so foreign without the wind blowing through them. The dye felt odd on her fur, but not unpleasant. Unfortunately, brown is NOT her colour, and she grimaced at the hue on her legs. [colour=#0000ff]"I do have some more rope if you need it..."[/colour] she whispered, not able to find her full voice just yet.

[Trilobite]

Ironmane did not object. In fact the paladin did not say anything as she was being dyed and then tied into the disguise. In fact, she didn't even make eye contact, and moved only where necessary. As the process went on, it became more and more obvious to her that no apology would be forthcoming from Curtain Call.

It is simply his way, Ironame. She could almost hear Princess Platinum's voice. You are angy because he inadvertently touched one on one of your insecurities. One must not perpetuate suffering, returning slight for slight. This is not the way of our Order.

The big unicorn sighed, and relaxed visibly. As Curtain Call finished up his work on the pegasus, she looked over her own harness and that of others. "[colour=#800080]These harnesses are ingenious, Curtain Call. And I must ask your forgiveness for knocking you down earlier. It was wrong of me to be so petty.[/colour]"

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble stood there stoically as his face got painted up, feeling a little bit silly, but then stepped back and twitched at himself, making the wooden 'legs' shift around him with a soft clatter ... [colour=#808080]"Do you also have brass-coloured paint there?"[/colour] he asks,[colour=#808080] "Or are we just going to have to hope? Those things don't look too sophisticated."[/colour]

He watches as the others get made up in the same way, grinning a bit. He knew this was serious... he knew this was life-or-death ... he knew this was a very grim affair ... but it just felt like Nightmare Night, and he always did love Nightmare Night, and pretending to be somepony else, and he could not repress that playful, childlike grin that kept spreading across his face.

​

[Kirby Krackle]

"[colour=#006400]Forgiveness? For what? That little bump in the snow? Didn't hurt a bit.[/colour]" He lied. "[colour=#006400]Besides, it's all in good fun. I laugh. You laugh. Especially you. Because you need to stop taking things so seriously.[/colour]" A more traditional boop to the nose would have smeared the paint job he worked so hard on. So instead, he used a still damp sponge. "[colour=#006400]See?[/colour]" Curtain Call then gestured to Bramble Rose, who looked like he was having the time of his life. "[colour=#006400]He's enjoying himself.[/colour]"

"[colour=#006400]And speaking of playing dress-up, I don't have any metallics in here[/colour]", he added, closing his kit and packing everything back up into his saddlebag. "[colour=#006400]'Metallic' is not a common coat colour. That... dull and ruddy brown we're all wearing are the closest I could get to copper without making us shiny somehow.[/colour]"

He was silent for a while then. The rogue's eyes fixated on the jerky and erratic movements of the whatever-they-were, making a few purposely awkward steps in place to try and mimic their movements: every twist of the knee and crack of the neck. In fact, every motion that wouldn't cause him pain. Once he was comfortable enough, he taught to the others. And then, finally, after all these years, he could utter a line he's been praying for an opportunity to use.

"[colour=#006400]Walk this way.[/colour]"

He has always wanted to say that.

The rogue lead the way down to the cave. He looked absolutely ridiculous.

[Trilobite]

Ironmane followed after, thinking on the former rogue's words. She did her best to imitate the stiff, erratic motions of the automatons, following Curtain Call's lead. One of her false legs became snagged in some underbrush, and the big paladin ended up dragging most of a bush along with her.

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble Rose followed along with the group, his eyes darting around swiftly at the working constructs ... he wondered how much work it had taken to make all these constructs, and more down in the mines, besides! Quite an effort, he was sure. Though the obvious cheapness of the faux-ants surely made a difference. The magical structures, he was sure, also lessened. He wished he knew more about artificing like this, all of a sudden, the magical forumale all flying out of his head after he got past the most basic of theoretical structures - he'd passed the test for that class, he was sure, but darned if he could remember any of it, now!

His own steps scarpered across the top of the snow silently, even as the others had to crunch noisily through it, the fake legs wriggling and scratching across the surface. Behind him followed Blossom, the timberwolf spider's long legs punching down through the snow softly, her movements growing more and more spider-like with the ease of practice, sticking close to the ponies in their disguises.

​

And ... it seemed to work! The worker constructs didn't respond to the approach of the group at all, their simple instructions briefly distracting them to the disguised intruders, but fooled by the disguises, they went back to work without raising an alarm, pressing the block into place at the wall, and heading back into the mine.

And so it was they got to the enchanted door, with its magical aura - the snow seemed unwilling to come all the way up to the door, and even outside, and Ali could see that the bubble of a magical aura pushed out exactly where the snow ended, a wall that the snow would not penetrate.

[colour=#808080]"Right,"[/colour] whispered Bramble softly, uncertain about pressing into the magic, not wanting the constructs to hear them talking. [colour=#808080]"Now what?"[/colour]

​

[Trilobite]

"[colour=#800080]Forward, I would suggest,[/colour]" Ironmane whispered from behind clenched teeth. "[colour=#800080]Into the heart of this darkness, there to strike![/colour]"

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble whispers back, [colour=#808080]"Your faith protects you from magical assault!"[/colour] (OOC: player goes, "You have the best saves!") [colour=#808080]"You go first!"[/colour]

​

[Kirby Krackle]

Curtain Call rolled his eyes at the painful lack of initiative. Were these ponies heroes or little baby sparrows chirping for mommy? Discreetly, he removed his burglar's tools. Less discreetly, he bumped his way through the trio all too chicken to march forward and risk being blasted back to Canterlot. "[colour=#006400]I can open the door. I go first. You all get to sit out here[/colour]", mentioning where the snow stopped and the obvious security measures began. "[colour=#006400]And watch how easy it is for me to commit crimes.[/colour]" He didn't feel like spinning some yarn about he learned his trade. So instead, he was blunt. Knowing his team, they'd probably wonder if he was joking. Refuge in audacity at its finest.

On the subject of the door, it was actually well assembled. Clearly more bits were spent on this than the drones. Which is a shame. Whoever designed this wasn't being paid to test reactions to the environment. A pity. The only good news he could take from this is because of the design flaw, he had a pretty good idea of where harm's way was, and thus, where to put his friends.

His mouth was soon full of wrenches and hooks and rakes and picks, actually humming a jaunty tune as he solved this puzzle.

(Disable Device +4, Dexterity +3, Trapfinding +2. Bam. And, just in case things go sour, my Trap Sense is +1. Also, haha, "You have the best saves". Classic.)

[Bramble Rose]

(( heehee. Glad you appreciated it. ))

As Curtain steps over the threshold and out of the drift of snow, to the dry ground, a wave of warmth hits his face. After being half-frozen half the day, the warmth feels almost tropical ... but it is merely warmth. Nothing else seems to happen - no explosion, no wailing noise, no rush of monstrous foe.

The lock itself, however, does seem to have a mechanical trap - the lock is designed to turn under almost any key, but only the right key unlocks it - the wrong key sets off ... something. You can't tell. The standard tricks of torquing the lock and brushing the pins just isn't going to work here!

Well. Unless you're good at this. Unless you carefully dug through the wood right next to the lock, and shoved one of your tools right .. *there*, blocking the mechanism for the trap, thus allowing you to torque the lock, a few quick passes across the pins, and viola! The lock clicks open under your hooves.

[Trilobite]

Ironmane steps in, nosing the door open and taking the lead unless stopped. "[colour=#800080]Glad to see you putting those talents to good use, my friend,[/colour]" she says, very quietly and with sincere pleasure in her voice.

[Bramble Rose]

The door swung open quietly at IronMane's nudge, swinging open to show a torchlit interior - though the torch in question had a dark-purple flame, it seemed to give off perfectly pleasant light. Two of the ant-spider constructs could be found in this room, and these seemed to have been given somewhat more attention than the rest - their movements, less jerky and awkward, but instead smooth and precise as they carefully placed smaller bricks, restoring an old wall, a lighter patch marking where they'd already replaced quite a few old and crumbling bricks with new construction. Even as you watch, they both turn their heads to look at you with smooth, eyeless faces ... and then turn back to their work, one of them leaning forward to spew a grey goo from where its mouth should be, right onto the brickwork before them. Then they use their sharply pointed forelegs like trowels, smoothing it out in preparation for more bricks.

The room itself is sparsely furnished - a couple sets of boots and a few different coats and cloaks hang on the wall, of different styles - some more stylish, and others of the rough barbarian fashion of these parts. To one side, a set of stairs spiral up the outside wall of the tower.

Bramble follows on in, silently, peering around with his heart thudding nervously in his chest, mentally going over what spells he knows that he could use in an emergency. What would he even have to affect constructs?!

[Kirby Krackle]

What's this? No judgements? No accusations? Was this the same Paladin pony who would kick a stallion's nose in for jaywalking? But then again, now that he thought about it, when has she ever given him a stare for showing off his trade in her presence? Oh, during that one instance of using lethal force. Were there others? Curtains couldn't think of any. He blushed, grateful that paint concealed it, wishing Ironmane was more judgmental. Then he could have some reason to keep his distance. Whatever. Matters of the heart cannot be on the mind right now.

The lights bothered him. The odd coloured implied an origin other than flint and tinder. It was Unicorn nonsense, so he assumed he couldn't just douse the lot of them. And he hated not having a cover of darkness in which to operate. Doubly so, as his comrades weren't night owls as he was. He looked back at the more elaborate machines, changing his assumption about the Spiderants outside. These had weapons. Or else they wouldn't be indoors. Right? He gave them a very brief once-over just to be sure. Maybe his tools could find an off switch.

(Perception is +5 total, Trap Finding is +2 if applicable. Looking for wires to cut, screws to loosen, that sort of thing.)

"[colour=#006400]Gameplan[/colour]", he whispered, motioning everypony into a huddle. "[colour=#006400]I go upstairs first. Horns and prayers, (there was only minor bitterness behind calling his trio that) what can you do? Right now? Full rundown. Short words.[/colour]"

[Trilobite]

Ironmane did her best to walk with the clockwork precision of these--rather finely crafted--constructs. In her efforts to be graceful, she looked exactly like the somewhat spastic devices outside. "[colour=#800080]I will be guided to the darkest place here.[/colour]"

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble grimaced at the question, which uncomfortably echoed his own thoughts. What could he do? Provide a charming distraction to get money from rich ponies? Write a dissertation? Maintain a healthy garden? None of those were really useful here.

He could list out in total, but ... most of his abilities had been used in the previous fight. "Just like before," he said softly, shrugging helplessly, trying to keep as soft and quiet and short as possible.

​

With the quiet murmuring, the silent constructs look up again, their heads swiveling around to scan the room as if seeking out the source of the uncharacteristic noises. And then, equally silently, they attacked.

(
Initiative order:
Tornado Ali +3: 19
Thorn Blossom +3: 18
Bramble Rose +1: 17
Curtain Call +3: 8
Spiderant Laborers +0: 4
Ironmane -1: 1
)

[Kirby Krackle]

There was, while back in the forest, a feeling of inadequacy growing inside Tornado Ali when surrounded by her new allies. They were seasoned and full of real life experience, of which she was painfully jealous. Out there in the cold, she felt an even stronger bitterness towards the monastery. Of course, as the drones rose to attack, those emotions, along with any others potentially brewing inside the little blue mare, weren't even a memory. This was all thanks to the Church of the Hurricane's very thorough training regiments, breeding equal parts priest and soldier.

With her last little spark of fleeting affections, directed solely towards the first stallion in a long while to call her 'pretty', she pushed Curtain Call behind her. As far away from the danger as possible. Her powerful wings simply tore through the knots in her harness and spread wide, her back rising with them, making herself look as close to doubled in size as possible.

"[colour=#0000ff]To paralyze the will. To overload the perception. To dominate the adversary[/colour]", she prayed to her patron saint of warfare, her fur standing on end. "[colour=#0000ff]Shock and Awe![/colour]"

Her front hooves pointed forward and there was a flash, momentarily as bright as Celestia's sun. Then there was the arc of lightning she had spent years learning to summon, jumping to the nearest glittering metallic beast that threatened them.

(( Lightning Arc casted. Yeah. This was fun. ))

[Bramble Rose]

From each hoof, a ball of crackling light leapt out, striking the two targets with a brilliant blue-white flash, which turned into a rumble of thunder as the bright arcs of lightning arced between the constructs. Any normal foe would have staggered at least a little under this onslaught, but these nerveless constructs simply charged on unheeding, though one, then the other, stumbled as it tried to step on a softening leg, tilting to the side as it bent under its weight, and the joining of the brass legs to the wooden bodies start to smoke, then burst into flame. Their legs started to deform from the heat, their sharp edges dulling and glowing, hissing with each red-hot step on the stone floor.

(

Reflex Saves: 3 and 13, neither of which makes the save.

4d6 damage: 6,5,4,2,+0 = 17

+1d6 from fire: *.5 vulnerable to fire:

1d6 damage: 6 (+3) = 9

17+9 = 26 damage each

)

Thorn Blossom, having been starting forward to the assault, screeches to a halt and throws herself backwards with eyes wide when the enemies burst into fire before her, the timber wolfspider scrabbling with its long legs clickity-clacking over the stones, the thin ends of her legs sliding. She lets out a snarl and collapses into a pile of lumber, and swiftly reforms out of that pile, the logs and twigs swirling around to form themselves into her more normal, powerful lupine shape. She lets out a fierce snarl, a challenge against the burning monsters.

Bramble, meanwhile, pauses only a moment, then steps backwards, considering his options... only one barkskin spell, this didn't seem important enough to waste it ... but if he could make certain his allies completed this battle more swiftly ... Curtain Call's agile style, swiftly seeking out tender and vital points, would be useless against constructs ... nodding to himself as he came to a conclusion, he murmured softly, [colour=#006400]"Nature within all things"[/colour] he murmured, a breeze raising around him, rippling his fur and lifting his tail and mane, his horn and eyes glowing green. [colour=#006400]"Unity of the world around us... Guidance!"[/colour] As he murmured the formulae, he brought into himself an awareness of his surroundings, the placement of every every breeze and breath, every pebble and hooffall. Then he laid his hoof upon Ironmane's flank, letting that awareness pass out of him and into her, trusting to her sheer power to do the work needed.

​

(+1 to your attack roll, Ironmane!)

[Kirby Krackle]

The first thought that went through Curtain Call's head once he hit the cold stone floor was 'hubba hubba'. This was the first time he witnessed the little bluebird actually... do something. And she did it well, like a force of nature. For a good long while, relatively, the rogue forgot to feel a deep dark envy of anything with weirdo powers. Instead, he sat there awestruck. First, from Miss Ali (he simply must call her by the suspected full name soon) and her newly found spark. Second, from the fact that those drones survived it.

"[colour=#006400]Oh plague rats.[/colour]"

He didn't like the narrow hallway. He didn't like the advancing automatons. He didn't like the unknown factors upstairs. He especially didn't like the idea of his knives being basically useless. Now seemed like an excellent time to retreat, to just abandon his team. He's done it before. There have been plenty of small gangs the little scoundrel has joined, only to bail out when things went sour. Did those ponies make it out of their respective scrapes? Maybe. But why was it his problem? Why should now be any different? Well, for starters, he heard Bramble Rose's incantation, which brought him back to when he felt its effects. It was a rush. Like liquified clarity in a bottle. But more importantly, it was a blessing to be shared. Such generosity shouldn't be tarnished by cowardice.

That being said, he still ran. Ran, and took a purposeful tumble in between his foes.

The plan was to be the diversion. If these golems are too busy trying to catch him, then priority has moved away from the Paladin poised to pummel them. Crazy, no? He admitted it. And, being the pessimist that he is, Curtain Call imagined his friends all crying over his bloody corpse. He also seemed to remember how it's unhealthy to think about death too much.

(Acrobatics is +4, Dex is +3. Looking to roll between them and land, alive, on the other side. Yay! I posted!)

[Bramble Rose]

(( That'll be a 17, all added together, which is better than their CMD, so they miss their attack of opportunity. ))

The glowing red brass legs of the artificial spiderants slam down to either side of Curtain as he throws himself into a roll past them, a brief tingle of too-hot metal splashing in a couple places on his hide, but the hot splatters of semi-liquid metal falling away before they can do more than sting through his leather armor, and he comes to his hooves on the far side of them, with the spiderants turning to face the nimble stallion.

Despite Curtain's fear for his own hide, it seems the two creatures are moving in a much less agile fashion than they were just a few seconds ago, their legs deforming under their own swift movements, making it awkward for them - he darts back and forth as blow after blow rains down to either side of him, taunting the constructs with their inability to even lay a single spidery leg on him.

Then one does, a low swing catching him right in the stomach as he's diving away from another blow coming in high, his armor turning away part of the strike - but only part of it, as the burning hot metal pierces his leather armor with a sickening *hiss* - but at least it turned the blow away from being lethal, merely scoring shallowly into his side, his blood making a quenching hiss over the glowing leg-tip, which has dulled in its glow when it withdraws.

(

6 damage + 1 fire damage to Curtain

And they got in one good roll for all four attacks. You would have had to add the other three attacks together in order to get a second hit.

Ironmane, your turn!

)

[Trilobite]

Ironmane braced herself, her eyes hard and gaze focused. The moment one of the constructs turned and appeared to be tracking her comrade, she reared up and struck out with a flurry of blows at the distracted construct.

(Simple forehoof attack--the rest is all flavour. I believe that's at my base attack bonus: +3)

[Bramble Rose]

((

Attack:

BAB: +3

Strength Bonus: +2

Bramble's Guidance: +1

Curtain's Flanking: +1

Total: +7

1d20 + 7 = 14+7 = 21 HIT!

Unarmed 1d4 + Str 2 damage = 6 damage

))

The fierce strike cracks across the wooden body of the spider, sending sparks flying from the burning construct and sending it stumbling to the side, giving Ironmane a perfect view of her injured companion.

(And back to the top of the order, to Ali)