[MLP] Roleplaying is Magic IC: The Broken Road.

[One Tin Soldier]

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Energy 9 - 4
4+5=9
Grease is now down by 2 more Energy. I failed to make note of her current Energy level in an easily accessible place, though I remember she lost some. I'm pretty sure it's somewhere between 4 and 6 now.
EDIT: Went and checked, Grease was at 7 Energy before, so now she's at 5. She is also at 4 Fortitude, full Courage, and 10 Willpower.

Grease extricated herself from the sled once more, glad to be done for the day. Or night. Or whatever. The time-of-day confusion had completely thrown off her internal clock, which did nothing to help her tired muscles. She could have sworn the sled was getting heavier as they walked. At this point, she just wanted to sleep.

First, though, there was shelter to set up. "It can't be all that hard," she said, going to retrieve the materials for their makeshift tents. Sure, she was hardly a master camper, but a tent seemed simple enough to erect.

[Balmas]

"I've seen pictures," chimed the pegasus. "Two sticks support a rope that supports a cloth cover. Stakes hold it down." He began digging in the supplies sled, pulling out four metal poles; they almost looked like laddar poles if you squinted at them.

So, there were six of them; that meant three to a tent, which probably wouldn't be very comfortable. He paused, and amended that to three per tent, with one left over; couldn't forget about the ambassador. Maybe our sedimentary friend would be willing to play shade for me, he thought, crooking an eyebrow in amusement. Alternatively, they could disassemble one of the sleds and make a third make-shift tent.

Problem was, theory is often different from application. He had ample opportunity to ponder this as he stared at the rock. He tapped it idly, judging its size. If they strung two ropes over the top of it in a cross, perhaps they could make four smaller tents to fit their large group. But then they'd have to cut their cloth covers into something smaller.

With that in mind, he began looking at the supply sled to guesstimate how much cloth they had.

[BlasTech]

They'd packed seven table cloths of various sizes, the idea had been for each pony to take one as a sun-cloak if the need had arisen. As it was, they had three larger tablecloths, which could have held two or three ponies each, and four smaller ones suitable only for individual tents at most.

"Oh come on, it doesn't take a genius to pitch a tent." snarked Rinda, helping herself to one of the larger table cloths. You guys sort yourselves out, I've got to go tuck his royal unconsciousness into bed."

And with that, she went off to find an appropriate campsite.

There was rope aplenty, but nobody had packed any guide pegs; for now, rocks and other pieces of desert detritus would have to do for mooring.

[DC10 Body/Mind check to set up a tent because I can't figure out whether memory or co-ordination counts most, +1 for improvised materials. For a dual check like this, add both stats, divide by two and round up.

Failure on this check will impact how much energy you regain tonight.]

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Energy 9 - 4
4+5=9
Grease is now down by 2 more Energy. I failed to make note of her current Energy level in an easily accessible place, though I remember she lost some. I'm pretty sure it's somewhere between 4 and 6 now.
EDIT: Went and checked, Grease was at 7 Energy before, so now she's at 5. She is also at 4 Fortitude, full Courage, and 10 Willpower.

[Yep, that matches what I have]

[TheAmishPirate]

Crown's face was caught between a scowl and a pout as he watched Rinda just fly off like that. "Hmmph! 'Doesn't take a genius' indeed! Does she mean to think that a Cork is incapable of pitching his own tent? Why, perhaps I am quite good at pitching a tent, and have just never tried?"

He gathered his supply of rope and snatched his sun-cloak from his back. Muttering darkly, he stomped over to one corner of the outcropping and proceeded to show them how tent-pitching was really done.

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Mind/Body = Upper(5/2) = 3
Mind/Body 3: (1d20+3)[20]

As a matter of fact, he could pitch a tent rather nicely. A little ribbon for the entrance would have been ideal, but in these harsh circumstances they all had to make sacrifices.

[Balmas]

Dive Bomb regarded the departing griffon coolly, and smirked gently. Even he, as socially blind as he could be, could tell that she truly cared for her charge.

His hoof hovered over one of the large tablecloths, but he hesitated. It would be selfish to hog a larger tent all to himself, but it would be nightmarish to be sleeping inside a tent crafted from what amounted to a cloak. He grimaced, looking between the sun cloaks and the larger tablecloths, the indecision plain on his face.

Eventually, the desire to be able to sleep outweighed the desire to be socially correct; he mouthed one of the larger tablecloths, some rope, and headed towards the rock. As he worked, he appreciated the chill of the stone against his fur; it was a new sensation, if not one that he'd permanently go groundside to have.

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(5 Mind + 3 Body)/2 +1 = +5

(1d20+5)[22]

Oh, that was just heaven; a nice big rock closing off one end of the tent, its mass sapping the heat from the air, combined with the thick tablecloth blocking most of the heat of the rising sun. What's more, he'd faced it away from the sunrise, so he wouldn't be woken until the sun started to set. Dive Bomb sighed, satisfied with the gentle rebound in the taut cloth of the tent. He poked his head out, satisfied that the brown colt wasn't completely incompetent, if the decent tent he'd made was any evidence. It was a little small, but... Not thinking about that. Think about something else. Think about blue skies--nice, open clear skies.

Oh, and breathe. Breathing is good too.

He sighed, withdrawing back under cover, allowing a content smile to spread across his face. Now, to work! The blue scarf and its precious contents dropped to the sand; he sighed, looking at the quadrangle of happy faces on the paper, before tucking it carefully back in the scarf.

Now, the crystal, that was interesting. He pursed his lips as he turned it over, admiring the play of the dim light off its crude facets. It didn't seem to be any stone he recognized, though since he wasn't a geologist perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised. It seemed disrespectful to engage in destructive testing; besides, he didn't have the right equipment for it. So, it was green, and... crystal. Big help.

[Ravian]

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Energy 6
(1d20+6)[21]

"stupid granite law-and-order brute.." Soot muttered as they followed the stone creature. Nevertheless she kept good pace with the others. She surveyed the spot they finally stopped at. "Not exactly ideal, but there's not alot of cover to begin with. I'm sure we can make do" she began to go about with the tent, while she'd never been camping, she did have some experience with making a bit of shelter when the weather required it.

[Ravian]

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Making the tent: body 2 + mind 4 /2 +1 = 4
(1d20+4)[13]

It certainly wasn't as fancy as the others, but it should serve. Soot frowned as she did a mental count.
"So there are 6 of us and 2 to a tent." she said to Grease Spot and Rinda "Which of us is going to have to share with a stallion?"

[One Tin Soldier]

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Making the tent: body 2 + mind 4 /2 +1 = 4
[roll0]

It certainly wasn't as fancy as the others, but it should serve. Soot frowned as she did a mental count.
"So there are 6 of us and 2 to a tent." she said to Grease Spot and Rinda "Which of us is going to have to share with a stallion?"

Grease smirked. She had been thinking the exact same thing. "I don't mind if either of you are uncomfortable with it. Though I had assumed Rinda would want to stay with the ambassador?"

[BlasTech]

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Making the tent: body 2 + mind 4 /2 +1 = 4
[roll0]

It certainly wasn't as fancy as the others, but it should serve. Soot frowned as she did a mental count.
"So there are 6 of us and 2 to a tent." she said to Grease Spot and Rinda "Which of us is going to have to share with a stallion?"

"I don't care!" came Rinda's voice, over from where she'd set up her tent. Indeed, the gryphoness was sharing her tent with the still-comatose ambassador. "Sort yourselves out, I'm going to sleep!"

Iggy, meanwhile, was still pawing at the tent materials, as if hoping they'd assemble themselves while he looked.

[One Tin Soldier]

"I don't care!" came Rinda's voice, over from where she'd set up her tent. Indeed, the gryphoness was sharing her tent with the still-comatose ambassador. "Sort yourselves out, I'm going to sleep!"

Iggy, meanwhile, was still pawing at the tent materials, as if hoping they'd assemble themselves while he looked.

"Here, let me help you with that," Grease said. At least she would would get to set up one tent.

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Mind/Body (9/2): 5
12+5=17

"Wook's wike oo an I... ow on..." Grease placed the pole upright, held in place by the tablecloth. "Looks like you and I will share the tent, Soot."

[Balmas]

Dive Bomb sighed, hemming a bit over the bit of green crystal before wrapping it up in the scarf again.

"There's no need to split," he said, as he made his way out of the tent. "Seven cloths, seven tents, seven of us." He looked at the assembly of tents, counting silently. One for him, one for Cork, one for the ambassador and Rinda, and Igenous's was doing well under Grease's guiding hooves. However, if Grease and Soot wanted to share... He eased a cloth off the sled, and brought it over to them.

[BlasTech]

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Iggy said, giving Grease a hug before ducking in to check out his new real estate.

With the sun inching its way ever higher into the sky, the ponies were quickly coming to grips with the twin demands of sleep and hunger. The former was by far the most pressing, especially with all the walking of the night before. However, despite the snack from earlier, it didn't really compensate for the fact that they'd skipped the midnight version of lunch in their desire to keep pace with the rock monster.

[Happy to do whatever you guys feel like, just let me know here or in the OOC when to wrap up this day. You can snack in your tents and turn in or set up a proper meal now or something else, I'll just facilitate.]

[Balmas]

Dive Bomb lay the cloth on the ground and dug in the sled for the poles. His hoof encountered an apple, and his stomach murmured in sympathy. He paused, and took it out, contemplating the shiny almost-sphere. They had enough food for seven days, if he recalled correctly, but only enough water for two. Well, one now. All their efforts could turn out to be for nothing if they didn't get some water soon...

He frowned, and looked towards the distant city, and the speck of blue beyond it. If that didn't turn out to be some water soon, he might have to fly ahead and see if he couldn't find help. Without any cues or knowledge of where to go, though, he could just as easily be flying into the desert as out of it.

Things could be worse though; this apple could be rotten. He smirked, munching on it and grabbing a carrot as he turned back to his tent. They had a long day ahead of them.

[TheAmishPirate]

Before the pegasus could reach his tent, a sharp voice called out, "Just a moment, Dive Bomb!"

Crown emerged from his own tent, balancing his suitcase and a selection of fruits and vegetables for his evening (or was it morning?) repast on his back. "And that holds for the rest of you fine ponies. I cannot, nay, will not sleep until my task is seen to!"

Laying his suitcase down, he produced from it his sketchpad and pencil, flipping to an empty page. All the while, he would choose to ignore any protests the others might have. "As you are well aware, I have been tasked with taking down the story of Riverside and sharing it across Equestria and beyond. We all saw many things on our little side trip. I went out to speak to the farmers, watch their work, and learn all about their history and traditions, while you all did something or other in the homestead." He waved his hoof idly. "The point being that I need the richest, most complete picture of Riverside if I am to do the tale even a shred of justice. And though my mighty memory is indeed formidable, I trust paper all the more. For we all saw today what a little time can do to memory."

He hung his in a moment of respectful silence, before perking back up and grabbing his pencil. "And that is where your chance to be a part of this grand undertaking comes in! I shall be taking meticulous notes on the town, and I should like all of your thoughts. Sights, sounds, other ponies you saw, things the folk taught you, anything and everything!" He thrust his pencil skyward, ready to slay the monsters of ignorance and incomprehension. "Who's with me?"

[Basically, he wants to take down as many notes as he can regarding the town and its history. As this is recalling what made the town special, and not necessarily highlighting it yet, I don't think his talent applies to the check. I don't know if any of his other skills/talents would apply, but that's what having the character sheet in the OOC thread is for.

Also, with enough Harmony Bonuses, it should be a pretty good check regardless.]

[Balmas]

Dive Bomb paused, and looked back at the colt. He must have been really tired; what other possible explanation was there for Cork having thought of that first? He munched the last of his apple and came back, pulling out his notebook. Perhaps it was merely exhaustion setting in, but Cork was beginning to make sense.

"We must keep in mind that this may not be accurate, since it was effectively working from our memories," he began. "However, it seemed to be a small, rock-farming community." He paused, turning over the idea of petriculture in his mind before continuing. "Several different kinds of pony, though we didn't see any of them using their abilities. Perhaps a cultural stigma? Perhaps just the nature of memories. They were close enough to griffon lands for a griffon to pass here more than once, so they were perhaps north of Equestria?" He thought a bit, then added, "Then again, the fact that Vereia was a wanderer means that any conjecture based off her race means little."

He paused, jotting down his thoughts in his notebook. "Decorations seemed simple, but not spartan."

[BlasTech]

Iggy leaped into the task with his usual enthusiasm, more than happy to repay the help he'd received in getting his tent set up.

Rinda, however, was not as enthusiastic.

"I'm. Trying. To. Sleep!" She called back from inside her tent.

[DC 10 heart check to implore her to come out now, -2 penalty due to tired gryphoness.]

Iggy, meanwhile, launched into a recount of his arrival in Riverside; noting how he'd gotten over his initial surprise by immediately assuming he was dreaming - an assumption that was, oddly enough, borne out by what had happened later.

He'd spoken to Amelias in length about the issue of petriculture, he'd found her to be a really nice lady, if a little bit odd for hoof-washing everything despite having a perfectly functional horn on her head. Or, he'd assumed it had been functional. Maybe it wasn't. And that just made him sad. Almost as sad as he'd felt when he realised that he'd have to leave the nice imaginary lady behind when he woke up.

He babbled on past the point where the party had joined him, and would continue to do so until stopped; harping on about everything, large or small. From the strangeness of Kahlin's coat pattern to the stiching on Vereia's medicine bag (It had a nice a nice home-y hoofcraft look to it).

[TheAmishPirate]

Iggy leaped into the task with his usual enthusiasm, more than happy to repay the help he'd received in getting his tent set up.

Rinda, however, was not as enthusiastic.

"I'm. Trying. To. Sleep!" She called back from inside her tent.

[DC 10 heart check to implore her to come out now, -2 penalty due to tired gryphoness.]

Crown gave the tent his most miserable pout, ignoring the fact she couldn't see him through the sturdy cloth. "Miss Rinda, please! These poor ponies begged us to keep their memory, all they have left, alive! If we should get it wrong, why, it would be as good as murder!" He gave the tent his heaviest firepower; wide, glistening eyes, on the verge of heart-rending sobs. "Please, the dear Ambassador cared deeply for our kind and kin. Can you not spare a few precious minutes to help, if for nothing else, then in his stead?"

[That's a 3 Heart, and Trait: Charismatic. Accepting any and all Harmony bonuses, or forever hold your peace.]

[BlasTech]

[Well played sir, the wording of your plea grants a +2 bonus to the roll.]

EDIT@v: [The former. This bonus effectively offsets the penalty]

[TheAmishPirate]

[Is that for a net total of +0, or is the penalty negated and it's a +2? Also, I'll be waiting a bit to let others get a chance to assist if they please]

[Balmas]

"Hopefully, it won't take too long," said Dive Bomb, taking notes on what Igneous had said. "We do need to sleep."

((That's probably as close to a harmony bonus as you'll get from him. ))

[One Tin Soldier]

"Besides, the sooner we get this finished, the sooner we can all get to bed." To be honest, Grease just wanted to get to her tent, and possibly have a word with Soot in private. But she did promise to keep the memory of their spiritual benefactors alive, and this would help. Plus, like she said, it would be difficult to sleep while everyone sat outside and talked.

[TheAmishPirate]

[Alright, going to roll now:]

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Heart 3 + whatever Harmony bonuses you deem appropriate, rolled twice for Charismatic

Roll 1: (1d20+3)[11]
Roll 2: (1d20+3)[12]

[BlasTech]

[+3 bonus from Grease and Dive Bomb's assistance]

"Ugh fine, lets get this over with"

There was a scrabbling noise before the gyphon guard came slowly scrambling out. Her helmet was off and her headfeathers were badly ruffled, as if she'd tried to stuff her head under a pillow only moments before.

"Right, you want to know everything last flying detail? Well there's only a couple of things I'd add. If only to get you lot off to bed so I can finally get some blasted sleep" she groused.

"First off, there was something weird going on outside when I was looking for the royal pain-in-the-tailfeathers ... I tried to get up to see more of the landscape, but when I got past a certain altitude it felt like I wasn't actually going any higher no matter how hard I flew. Also, there was this fog or low cloudbank or something that blocked me from seeing more than a few hundred meters, or maybe a mile or so in any direction. All I could make out was the road and river, with that little farmhouse nestled in the middle of the fields.

When I actually tried to fly out of the place, this fog started to appear, it ... well I turned back soon after it turned up." Rinda trailed off for a second, looking uncomfortable.

"Anyway, apart from the freaky landscape; the only thing I'll say is that that Vereia person was all kinds of wrong. The way she was dressed; that bag of hers, that weird headband and blue feather combo, heck, even the way she had her headfeathers braided ..."

She didn't look a thing like a proper gryphon, or even one of those oddball ones from the joint settlements. If anything, she looked more like a Zebra, talked like one too. And no real gryphon goes that far afield unless they've been exiled."

Rinda let those words sink in for a moment.

"And you can't trust an exile."

[Balmas]

Exiles? What were they? What did they do to become exiles? Why did griffons not go far from their own country? Dove Bomb looked curiously at the griffoness, jotting his questions into the notebook.

The fog and the atmosphere were probably a result of the entire thing being a memory, he decided as he nibbled his pencil. There was only so much world that one memory could replicate; even he couldn't produce a perfect replica of Cloudsdale from memory, though he could do a pretty good estimation.

He began to munch his carrot, relishing the snap of the vegetable, before looking at the group again. "An exile. She did say something along the lines of not being able to go home, I believe."

[Ravian]

Soot was silent as the others told about what they remembered of the experience. It was a bit painful for her to remember Riverside still, despite the promise to do so. The fact that the all the happy ponies and simple content lives were long gone had weighed heavily on her.
You promised though...
That was true, they had all given their word to keep the memory alive, and trying to shut it out would be disrespecting the memories's wishes.
"The ponies." she said simply
"They weren't rushing about in a hurry, they weren't rude to whoever passed along. They had simple, lives but they seemed so content, they were always smiling." she gave a little smile remembering that little bit.

[TheAmishPirate]

Crown's pencil scribed furiously, getting every last detail. He'd have a neck cramp something fierce in the morning, but who could blame him? Igneous' detailed account was chock full of juicy tidbits, the sort that breathed life into a tale. He'd have to milk him for all he was worth to ensure he missed nothing. Soot's observations were more widespread, but getting an alternate viewpoint never hurt. And Rinda? Oh, if a special lady didn't already hold his heart he could kiss her. Vereia was no mere, dime-a-dozen wanderer. She was an exile! An outcast, raised by zebras! Authors the world over would crawl on their bellies over hot coals for drama like this!

Crown tittered like a schoolfilly getting the latest choice gossip, his pencil a flurry of graphite on the page. "Yes yes yes! Oh, this is just simply wonderful! Do go on!"

Probably not the reaction Rinda was expecting.

[Okay, I don't know if this'll take a check, but I'd basically like to take down sufficient notes such that Cork can make his paintings later either without the Mind check, or with a much easier check.

So yes, Crown is keeping everypony awake for the sake of Harmony bonuses. ]

[BlasTech]

"Riiiiight." replied Rinda, looking askance at the overly enthusiastic colt.

"Anyway, the point is; exiles are usally exiles for a reason. Lots of them are deserters, thieves, murderers or worse. Now, I don't know what it is that that gull did to get herself exiled, but I'd keep an eye on her if I were you guys." She finished, before making to head back towards her tent.

[You've accumulated enough notes to have a +2 bonus 'tool' to assist any painting. As for harmony bonuses, those generally need to happen when the check is being made, representing the support of your friends in doing the endeavour, so this isn't really counting towards that.]

[TheAmishPirate]

Crown all but cackled in glee as he took down this latest information. Oh, it was so much better than he could've hoped. Was Vereia an outlaw, seeking redemption through this child? Or was she the victim of misunderstandings, and seeking to live her life on her own terms? The drama! The mystery! What paintings he would make of her!

"Yes, yes, noted. If that's all you have, you may retire for the evening," he distractedly said to the departing griffon, as well as the present company. He continued to take down Igneous' ramblings regarding wood paneling; that could be helpful for indoor pictures. In fact, as long as he was providing good information - the definition of "good" being taking very liberally here - the young businesspony wouldn't dare stop him.

[Balmas]

So very good of him to release the group. Dive Bomb smirked wryly and made a last few notes. He might have to do a little digging tomorrow, when Rinda--and he himself--was not quite so exhausted. There was a possibility that she'd be reticent about details, but he needed to know more.

With that done, he rose creakily to his hooves and began trotting back to his tent. After he'd recorded all he could for this night, it was time to sleep. Yawning, he stared up at the slowly disappearing stars. Nocturnal activity was not unknown, but it had been a busy thirty-six hours.

OOC:

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Unless I miss my guess, it's almost time for a Dear Princess Celestia, right?

[One Tin Soldier]

Grease thought carefully about what she had seen while she was there. She hadn't really been paying specific attention to their surroundings, really, and Igneous seemed to have a more thorough account of the place.

"I don't think I have anything else to add," she said. "So I'm going to bed. Try to get as much sleep as you can. And sleep well!"

As she returned to the makeshift tent, she found herself reconsidering whether to talk to Soot again. On one hoof, she did have questions for the younger mare, and privacy was clearly going to be a rare commodity on this journey. But on the other, she was tired. This conversation would take time away from sleeping. What's more, she had a feeling that it would stir up uncomfortable feelings in one or both of them.

She laid down on the rock, yawning. She was so tired, the rock may as well have been a sofa. As this thought crossed her mind, she decided to leave the questioning off for the time being. By all appearances, they would have all too much time to learn more about each other. Now, it was time to sleep.