Cloudbreak IC: Glimpse of the sky

[BlasTech]

Yes! While Milliway is following Luminark now, it's not as if she ever trusted him to get her out in one piece. Especially not now.

[Rolls Read A Sitch 6+5+0=11; Where's my best escape route? Which enemy is the biggest threat? What should I be on the lookout for?]

Milliway. As you race through the stacks, you catch sight of a massive chandelier off in the distance. Its design is best described as "Biomancer Gothic", given that it's huge, black iron, and covered in hundreds of eyeballs rather than candles. Looking for your own eye, you couldn't help but notice it on the way in. Whether or not the stacks themselves are moving, your best way out is to keep heading in that direction.

The enemy that's the biggest threat is the library. No brains for guessing that. It wants payback for what you did to it, and it's not going to rest until it gets it, or you get out of here.

What you should be on the lookout for is a trap. The Decibugs aren't the worst thing that's out here. I mean, come on, a whole library of magical evil and you think it's the flesh eating insects that are the worst? Nah. They probably aren't the worst thing out there, and there's almost certainly bigger and badder things in the stacks. The bugs probably are just there to make noise, to herd you in a specific direction.

2d6-1 6

Luminark knew his way around the library, theoretically. But he was too busy thinking about what the Archmage was going to think to really pay attention to what was going on around him.

As Milliway races around a corner, a flurry of books stream off the shelves. By the time they clear, the mare is gone from your sight, leaving you alone in a library that is royally pissed off. Behind you, the swarming noises get louder.

What do you do?

"Then I guess you'd better find someplace good to hide this stuff, right?"

"...c'mon, Goops. Don't give me that face. You know the Scrapscallion's always good for it." He checked to make sure Kneecapper wasn't too close, and lowered his voice. "This run, see? I can make it in my sleep. Drive quick enough, and I bet I'll have time for a detour or two." He waggled his eyebrow knowingly. "You're telling me there's nothing the ESD wants from the surface? Nothing you want?"

Yeah, your services are the shizz. Most ponies in the bunker would love to place a custom order, and Goops is no exception. At your offer, his eyes veritably light up.

"You mean ... you'll take an order from us?" he thought, mind buzzing with the possibilities. "From me?"

He looked about shiftily.

"Do you think you could find me some .... chocolate?"

Can I get some background info on this door? Is it load supporting? What all is down here? Why even do I have a blast door in a maintenance tunnel?

The door itself is not load bearing. You're currently standing in a metal tunnel, about twenty meters long, with a solid steel door at either end. It's the kind of structure that's used to separate off the different sections of a mine in case of flooding or cave in. Think like an industrial-grade airlock.

In daily use, they can be purposed as a clean zone (there are a couple of shower heads and some new uniforms along one of the walls), but normally they're left open for ponies to head through on their way from zone A to B.

[Thanqol]

As Milliway races around a corner, a flurry of books stream off the shelves. By the time they clear, the mare is gone from your sight, leaving you alone in a library that is royally pissed off. Behind you, the swarming noises get louder.

What do you do?

Panicking would not befit a unicorn of Luminark's training, birth and stature. That's why he only does it for a few minutes.

Then in desperation, he flares his horn and runs a line of crackling pink energy down into the gemstone that hangs upon his forehead. It begins to glow and pulse - and opens up, like a portal, into his brain.

The stone is a Possession Shard, one of his mother's proudest accomplishments. When activated it conjures a portal between the Ghost World and the wearer's brain. It then pulls in a long-dead spirit that has skills or abilities that can help the wearer with whatever his current predicament is. Ideally the possession is the productive union of two interested parties, with neither pony having full control - a synthesis of two minds.

It hardly ever goes wrong, or summons a ghost with no useful skills, or a ghost with a severe personality conflict to the host, or allows more than one ghost in at the same time, or summons a ghost too powerful to be easily exorcised, or summons something that isn't a ghost at all. Those things have statistically insignificant chances of occurring. Perfectly, statistically safe.

Open Your Brain: 7

[TheAmishPirate]

Yeah, your services are the shizz. Most ponies in the bunker would love to place a custom order, and Goops is no exception. At your offer, his eyes veritably light up.

"You mean ... you'll take an order from us?" he thought, mind buzzing with the possibilities. "From me?"

He looked about shiftily.

"Do you think you could find me some .... chocolate?"

100 years hadn't done a thing to dull ponykind's sweet tooth. The Scrapscallion understood. He got the munchies too.

"Chocolate? Hrmmmmmmmmmmmm." The Scrapscallion stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It'd take some doing...have to drive through some unkind territory...hrmmmmm..." He let Goops dangle on the hook for just a little while longer, before nodding with conviction. "No, you know what? The Scrapscallion'll get you your sweets. You got yourself a deal."

He knew where to find some chocolate, of course. Bitsburgh would have some for sure; all he had to do was find a back door to sneak in through. There were still some friendly faces in that town he could visit...

"But you gotta make sure this stuff gets locked up someplace safe, alright? Some troublemaker swiped this little beauty and threw her in the generator room." He patted the hover projector fondly. "Bad for both of us if that happened again, right? Keep it quiet, and we're all happy here."

"By the way, you didn't happen to get a look at my bike did you? Was one of the hover projectors missing?" Right, the reason he came down here in the first place.

[Elanorin]

Milliway. As you race through the stacks, you catch sight of a massive chandelier off in the distance. Its design is best described as "Biomancer Gothic", given that it's huge, black iron, and covered in hundreds of eyeballs rather than candles. Looking for your own eye, you couldn't help but notice it on the way in. Whether or not the stacks themselves are moving, your best way out is to keep heading in that direction.

The enemy that's the biggest threat is the library. No brains for guessing that. It wants payback for what you did to it, and it's not going to rest until it gets it, or you get out of here.

What you should be on the lookout for is a trap. The Decibugs aren't the worst thing that's out here. I mean, come on, a whole library of magical evil and you think it's the flesh eating insects that are the worst? Nah. They probably aren't the worst thing out there, and there's almost certainly bigger and badder things in the stacks. The bugs probably are just there to make noise, to herd you in a specific direction.

Creepy eyeball chandelier. Yes. I remember that thing. It's hard not to (there is something seriously wrong with a pony that puts something like that together and hangs it up for Pretty. Then again, the fact that there was something wrong with Luminark was well established at this point. A creepy morbid piece of decor really only confirmed her opinions on him.

Milliway scrambled round the corner and ran at breakneck speed straight towards that very chandelier, and, hopefully, the exit. She couldn't hear Luminark's precious hoofsteps anymore. He probably found a mirror to preen at.

[BlasTech]

"You got yourself a deal."

"But you gotta make sure this stuff gets locked up someplace safe, alright? Some troublemaker swiped this little beauty and threw her in the generator room." He patted the hover projector fondly. "Bad for both of us if that happened again, right? Keep it quiet, and we're all happy here."

"By the way, you didn't happen to get a look at my bike did you? Was one of the hover projectors missing?" Right, the reason he came down here in the first place.

"Yess!" replied Goop, who couldn't resist punching the air in excitement. "Right! Secure. Okay ... I'll set aside some space in my equipment shed then. It's not the Celestial Vaults, but it's got locks and alarms and is probably better than leaving it out in the dirt. I'll just clear out some of the other crud there to make enough room."

"Your bike's still locked up in the main lab, we haven't had a chance to move it yet. I didn't notice anything wrong with it when I was in there earlier but you can probably check with one of the other colts in the team." Goop replied, shrugging. "You say you found it in the generators? What was it doing down there?"

It hardly ever goes wrong, or summons a ghost with no useful skills, or a ghost with a severe personality conflict to the host, or allows more than one ghost in at the same time, or summons a ghost too powerful to be easily exorcised, or summons something that isn't a ghost at all. Those things have statistically insignificant chances of occurring. Perfectly, statistically safe.

Open Your Brain: 7

Safe as houses.

Although, as with many houses, they are only as strong as the doors that guard them. Windows, open in the breeze, let in more than just air. While strangers stalk the halls with merry smiles and a friendly wave.

Tell me, Luminark. Before I give you your answer, do you often make use of this ability of yours, to call on the dead? What do they say when you've done this before?

Creepy eyeball chandelier. Yes. I remember that thing. It's hard not to (there is something seriously wrong with a pony that puts something like that together and hangs it up for Pretty. Then again, the fact that there was something wrong with Luminark was well established at this point. A creepy morbid piece of decor really only confirmed her opinions on him.

Milliway scrambled round the corner and ran at breakneck speed straight towards that very chandelier, and, hopefully, the exit. She couldn't hear Luminark's precious hoofsteps anymore. He probably found a mirror to preen at.

The shelves thin out, leaving a massive open space ahead of the exit. This clearing hadn't been here previously, nor had there been such a large pile of books in the middle of it.

The thousand eyes of the chandelier turn to look at you as you arrive at the edge of the clearing.

What do you do?

[Balmas]

The door itself is not load bearing. You're currently standing in a metal tunnel, about twenty meters long, with a solid steel door at either end. It's the kind of structure that's used to separate off the different sections of a mine in case of flooding or cave in. Think like an industrial-grade airlock.

In daily use, they can be purposed as a clean zone (there are a couple of shower heads and some new uniforms along one of the walls), but normally they're left open for ponies to head through on their way from zone A to B.

In that case, I see no harm in directing a few blasts of lightning towards key points and forcing them out of the way.

"Now, Carat," I say, addressing the air. "I'd like to forgive your rather grievous faux pas against your best friend, but I'm curious. Who exactly were you expecting to trap down here? And why?

[Thanqol]

Safe as houses.

Although, as with many houses, they are only as strong as the doors that guard them. Windows, open in the breeze, let in more than just air. While strangers stalk the halls with merry smiles and a friendly wave.

Tell me, Luminark. Before I give you your answer, do you often make use of this ability of yours, to call on the dead? What do they say when you've done this before?

All the time! Luminark actually quite likes meeting new ponies this way. He tries to be a good host when he can. However, he very rarely does it for no reason at all - the Gem calls to ponies with useful skills, and if his current situation is 'boredom' then he tends to get something very good at making his life interesting...

There are ghosts from all walks of life out there but they tend to be curious, well informed and gossipy. Luminark is given to suspect that there is a big cloud of invisible spectators following him around all the time waiting for a chance to hitch a ride. A recurring theme is unsolicited advice, requests, or occasionally creepy stalker behavior.

Luckily given the war was two hundred years ago and everypony on every side died not many of them tend to be big on the vengeance/unfinished business ghostly thing. A better analogy might be, like, dedicated viewers of the reality TV show of his life - perhaps a shade more unhinged.

[Elanorin]

The shelves thin out, leaving a massive open space ahead of the exit. This clearing hadn't been here previously, nor had there been such a large pile of books in the middle of it.

The thousand eyes of the chandelier turn to look at you as you arrive at the edge of the clearing.

What do you do?

Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa. Whoa.

Milliway screeched to a brief halt as she reached the wide open space. Now this felt like a trap.

Can books get pissed?

Not keen to find out the answer, Milliway decided to err on the side of caution and trotted a little more carefully along the fringe of the clearing, taking the long route towards the exit. She winked at the chandelier.

[BlasTech]

In that case, I see no harm in directing a few blasts of lightning towards key points and forcing them out of the way.

"Now, Carat," I say, addressing the air. "I'd like to forgive your rather grievous faux pas against your best friend, but I'm curious. Who exactly were you expecting to trap down here? And why?

"Oh ... nothing too major." replied Carat from off-screen, as the blast door came thundering down in its rails. "Just somepony that's been killing some of my research staff in the most gruesome fashions. I thought I'd rig up a few things so I could tell them to stop it."

The door completed its collapse amidst a cloud of dust.

And the Hellhound that had been stalking your party for the last ten minutes picked this moment to strike. Its claws flashed like silver, and one of the friendship patrol nearest the door was disembowelled before he even had a chance to scream.

With the other door still up, the beast has you cornered - like rats in a box. Its hide is as tough as battle armour and its claws are deadly (3 - harm AP deadly, that is). It's got you right where it wanted you.

What do you do?

All the time! Luminark actually quite likes meeting new ponies this way. He tries to be a good host when he can. However, he very rarely does it for no reason at all - the Gem calls to ponies with useful skills, and if his current situation is 'boredom' then he tends to get something very good at making his life interesting...

There are ghosts from all walks of life out there but they tend to be curious, well informed and gossipy. Luminark is given to suspect that there is a big cloud of invisible spectators following him around all the time waiting for a chance to hitch a ride. A recurring theme is unsolicited advice, requests, or occasionally creepy stalker behavior.

Luckily given the war was two hundred years ago and everypony on every side died not many of them tend to be big on the vengeance/unfinished business ghostly thing. A better analogy might be, like, dedicated viewers of the reality TV show of his life - perhaps a shade more unhinged.

He felt the hoof-tips of the ether coalesce around the gemstone. The weight of millennia watching his every move ... and passing judgement.

He felt a rain of popcorn over his head.

"Quit yer lollygaggin' yer pompus whippersnapper!" yells the ghost, in the exact tone that one would use when watching an annoying daytime TV drama.

"Land's sakes, yer actin's slower than mah winter molasses and more wooden than mah apple trees!"

Well, you've got a connection going with one pony at least. What happens now? When you do this, what is it like? Do they take control of your hooves entirely, or is it more like having an annoying backseat driver - where you at least have the option of jumping off the cart?

In either case, this ghost seems to be bringing some unique skills to the table - mostly involving the production of baked goods, but for some reason also including the ability to high-dive as well as to dance the rhumba.

Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa. Whoa.

Milliway screeched to a brief halt as she reached the wide open space. Now this felt like a trap.

Can books get pissed?

Not keen to find out the answer, Milliway decided to err on the side of caution and trotted a little more carefully along the fringe of the clearing, taking the long route towards the exit. She winked at the chandelier.

The chandelier returned a level, unamused, gaze - if chandeliers were capable of being said to do such things.

Right, well, in the time it takes you to get a third of the way around, the decibugs come into sight right behind you. They glint metallically in the torchlight as they swarm over the last stack and are now close enough that you can see their little mandiables, their fluttering wings, and shining carapaces.

As they get closer, you can see that those mandibles are made of metal, reminiscent of the sort you see in ring-binders (except a lot more painful to get your hand caught in), their wings are paper and their shells are gold-leaf embossed.

After all, for whoever created these bugs, they were going for broke with the theme.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Yess!" replied Goop, who couldn't resist punching the air in excitement. "Right! Secure. Okay ... I'll set aside some space in my equipment shed then. It's not the Celestial Vaults, but it's got locks and alarms and is probably better than leaving it out in the dirt. I'll just clear out some of the other crud there to make enough room."

"Your bike's still locked up in the main lab, we haven't had a chance to move it yet. I didn't notice anything wrong with it when I was in there earlier but you can probably check with one of the other colts in the team." Goop replied, shrugging. "You say you found it in the generators? What was it doing down there?"

"Hell if I know." The Scrapscallion shrugged. "For a minute back there, the Friendship Patrol thought I put it there. Me! Like I'd rip apart my own bike just 'cause I got bored. Of course, Her Highness knew better. I tell ya, Goops, these are some weird and wild days we're living in. Generators go down, lab accidents, hover projector found in the engine room, and not to mention-"

waking up to Trees' dead eyes staring through me

The Scrapscallion paused. Smirked. Flipped his goggles down. "...what? I said I wasn't gonna mention. Now are we gonna check out this bike or what?"

she looked scared

[Thanqol]

He felt the hoof-tips of the ether coalesce around the gemstone. The weight of millennia watching his every move ... and passing judgement.

He felt a rain of popcorn over his head.

"Quit yer lollygaggin' yer pompus whippersnapper!" yells the ghost, in the exact tone that one would use when watching an annoying daytime TV drama.

"Land's sakes, yer actin's slower than mah winter molasses and more wooden than mah apple trees!"

Well, you've got a connection going with one pony at least. What happens now? When you do this, what is it like? Do they take control of your hooves entirely, or is it more like having an annoying backseat driver - where you at least have the option of jumping off the cart?

Luminark would describe the control as 'democratic'. If he wants to go left and the ghost wants to go right then half his hooves go in either direction - so he's stuck until he negotiates a compromise or browbeats the ghost into submission. In this moment he is happy to abdicate responsibility to somepony who doesn't seem to be panicking quite as much as he (entirely reasonably) is.

[Balmas]

"Oh ... nothing too major." replied Carat from off-screen, as the blast door came thundering down in its rails. "Just somepony that's been killing some of my research staff in the most gruesome fashions. I thought I'd rig up a few things so I could tell them to stop it."

The door completed its collapse amidst a cloud of dust.

And the Hellhound that had been stalking your party for the last ten minutes picked this moment to strike. Its claws flashed like silver, and one of the friendship patrol nearest the door was disembowelled before he even had a chance to scream.

With the other door still up, the beast has you cornered - like rats in a box. Its hide is as tough as battle armour and its claws are deadly (3 - harm AP deadly, that is). It's got you right where it wanted you.

What do you do?

Well, I'll be honest. What I want kinda seems outside the rules.

Way I see it, there aren't many good options in straight up combat. I could order my ponies to attack, do an all-out attack. Prblem is, between those claws and the armor plating on a hellhound, I'd take heavy losses, and even then might not kill the damned thing.

So what I want to do, is I want to cheat. I've got a horn. Damn sexy, too, though I say so myself, though that's besides the point. The point is, I'm packing some serious magical mojo. And so what I'm going to do is grab the hound in my telekinesis and hold it in midair. Give it no room to maneuver, nothing to push up against, nothing to shove off of, so that when I give the order to blast away at it, it won't be able to fight back.

Of course, while I'm doing that, I probably wouldn't be able to contribute to the fight very much.

So what am I rolling? Seize by Force? Open your brain?

[Elanorin]

The chandelier returned a level, unamused, gaze - if chandeliers were capable of being said to do such things.

Right, well, in the time it takes you to get a third of the way around, the decibugs come into sight right behind you. They glint metallically in the torchlight as they swarm over the last stack and are now close enough that you can see their little mandiables, their fluttering wings, and shining carapaces.

As they get closer, you can see that those mandibles are made of metal, reminiscent of the sort you see in ring-binders (except a lot more painful to get your hand caught in), their wings are paper and their shells are gold-leaf embossed.

After all, for whoever created these bugs, they were going for broke with the theme.

Enough with caution! RUN!

Milliway's eyes shot wide open at the sight of the approaching bugs and she scrambled to put as much space between herself and them as absolutely possible. Never-bloody-mind that it brought her headed straight for the books at top speed gallop.

Tell me, how high is this pile of books? High enough for a highly motivated pony to be able to jump from it up in to that spectacular chandelier to then punch her way in to the air vents above and seal herself in? Yes?

[BlasTech]

"Hell if I know." The Scrapscallion shrugged. "For a minute back there, the Friendship Patrol thought I put it there. Me! Like I'd rip apart my own bike just 'cause I got bored. Of course, Her Highness knew better. I tell ya, Goops, these are some weird and wild days we're living in. Generators go down, lab accidents, hover projector found in the engine room, and not to mention-"

waking up to Trees' dead eyes staring through me

The Scrapscallion paused. Smirked. Flipped his goggles down. "...what? I said I wasn't gonna mention. Now are we gonna check out this bike or what?"

she looked scared

"Yeah, sure." replied Goop, not entirely convinced.

Anyway, the two of you go into the shed and there's your bike ... truck. Biketruck.

It's just sitting there, waiting for you to use. No apparent damage and everything is in its place.

What's the plan?

Luminark would describe the control as 'democratic'. If he wants to go left and the ghost wants to go right then half his hooves go in either direction - so he's stuck until he negotiates a compromise or browbeats the ghost into submission. In this moment he is happy to abdicate responsibility to somepony who doesn't seem to be panicking quite as much as he (entirely reasonably) is.

Well, in this body democracy, are you gonna call a vote? Or is this just a one-party state pony for now?

In laypony's terms. Are you gonna do anything specific, or is it just a case of riding the flow?

Well, I'll be honest. What I want kinda seems outside the rules.

Way I see it, there aren't many good options in straight up combat. I could order my ponies to attack, do an all-out attack. Prblem is, between those claws and the armor plating on a hellhound, I'd take heavy losses, and even then might not kill the damned thing.

So what I want to do, is I want to cheat. I've got a horn. Damn sexy, too, though I say so myself, though that's besides the point. The point is, I'm packing some serious magical mojo. And so what I'm going to do is grab the hound in my telekinesis and hold it in midair. Give it no room to maneuver, nothing to push up against, nothing to shove off of, so that when I give the order to blast away at it, it won't be able to fight back.

Of course, while I'm doing that, I probably wouldn't be able to contribute to the fight very much.

So what am I rolling? Seize by Force? Open your brain?

Seizing by force. Seizing the diamond dog, that is.

Go ahead and roll hard.

Enough with caution! RUN!

Milliway's eyes shot wide open at the sight of the approaching bugs and she scrambled to put as much space between herself and them as absolutely possible. Never-bloody-mind that it brought her headed straight for the books at top speed gallop.

Tell me, how high is this pile of books? High enough for a highly motivated pony to be able to jump from it up in to that spectacular chandelier to then punch her way in to the air vents above and seal herself in? Yes?

As you approach the pile of books, something massive starts to emerge from it.

Its eyes are a fiery red. Its body made of obsidian scales and its claws look as sharp as knives.

Teeth fill its gaping maw and its throat hints at a soul that's both as black as night and as ancient as the hills.

Books cascade down from the pile as it smashes its way to freedom.

Okay okay, time out. Y'know how you're getting pursued by Decibugs? Well, the mad scientists that made them didn't stop there. The creature before you is much more fearsome and deadly. By design, it's the kind of creature whose entry in the monster manual is basically a picture and the words "avoid at all costs". Dreamed up through the unholy union of a biomancer, a technomancer and somepony with an Equestrian language major and a pretty terrible sense of humour.

The monster is called, of course, a Cliché.

Terrible puns and a horrible name aside, this thing does look pretty dangerous. The book pile is indeed tall enough to get you to the ceiling vents, but you'll have to go right past the creature to try to climb it.

What do you do?

[Balmas]

Spoiler

Show

(2d6+2)[11]

Quick question. Are we using the 1E or 2E rules for Leadership?

Take Definite Hold, Inflict Terrible Harm, Suffer Little Harm

[TheAmishPirate]

"Yeah, sure." replied Goop, not entirely convinced.

Anyway, the two of you go into the shed and there's your bike ... truck. Biketruck.

It's just sitting there, waiting for you to use. No apparent damage and everything is in its place.

What's the plan?

The Scrapscallion is going to give it a once-over first. He knows this thing like the back of his hoof, and if somepony so much as adjusted the seat he'd notice. He'll pay particular attention to the hover projectors. Sure, this may have been one of the spares, but to tell the truth? This whole sabotage thing stinks. If he were a deranged lunatic hell-bent on giving the Scrapscallion a headache, he would've totally ripped the projector right off the bike, and punted it as far away as he could. And then he would've stomped on the spares for good measure. And maybe spray-painted some disparaging remarks about his choice of manestyle on the side of his biketruck.

Just saying, there's a lot easier and more effective ways to make his life miserable, but their little thief did none of that. So what the heck, man?

[Thanqol]

Well, in this body democracy, are you gonna call a vote? Or is this just a one-party state pony for now?

In laypony's terms. Are you gonna do anything specific, or is it just a case of riding the flow?

Luminark didn't summon a ghost to save his flank and then not let it save his flank, right? He lets it take the reins.

[Elanorin]

As you approach the pile of books, something massive starts to emerge from it.

Its eyes are a fiery red. Its body made of obsidian scales and its claws look as sharp as knives.

Teeth fill its gaping maw and its throat hints at a soul that's both as black as night and as ancient as the hills.

Books cascade down from the pile as it smashes its way to freedom.

Okay okay, time out. Y'know how you're getting pursued by Decibugs? Well, the mad scientists that made them didn't stop there. The creature before you is much more fearsome and deadly. By design, it's the kind of creature whose entry in the monster manual is basically a picture and the words "avoid at all costs". Dreamed up through the unholy union of a biomancer, a technomancer and somepony with an Equestrian language major and a pretty terrible sense of humour.

The monster is called, of course, a Cliché.

Terrible puns and a horrible name aside, this thing does look pretty dangerous. The book pile is indeed tall enough to get you to the ceiling vents, but you'll have to go right past the creature to try to climb it.

What do you do?

Buggy doom behind, and death by Cliché ahead, this had the makings of an epic end and she had always liked the thought of going with a bang.

I'll be damned if I die in a bleeding library!

It was just as well Milliway happened to do her very best thinking when under pressure! An idea sparked in to existence in her mind and the eyes above on the chandelier suddenly became less creepy.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way!" Milliway called out to the monster as she approached, not ready to back down now. She continued at full gallop at the monster, zigging and zagging to dodge any attack as best she could as she dashed to run up the book-pile, jump, and make for the safety of the air vent above.

[Assuming this will need an AUF roll: 4+4+1=9

Tell me, what would it take to convert this amazing eyeball chandelier to become my eyeball chandelier? By that I don't mean simply to steal it, no, that's for fillies, no, I mean to hack in to it and convert it to a surveillance system of the library. This place clearly has Stuff going on. Stuff I'd like to keep eyeballs on.]

[BlasTech]

Spoiler

Show

[roll0]

Quick question. Are we using the 1E or 2E rules for Leadership?

Take Definite Hold, Inflict Terrible Harm, Suffer Little Harm

Well, the diamond dog charges, but your magic is pretty darn strong. Laughing Gas takes a swipe to the barrel, and Jolly Kicks loses a leg, but your soldiers stand firm in the face of the attack, blasting away at it.

Within seconds, it's all over. The beast is bloody, badly injured, but beaten. You've got it pinned in your magic, and it's looking at you with what can only be described as primal hatred.

What do you do?

The Scrapscallion is going to give it a once-over first. He knows this thing like the back of his hoof, and if somepony so much as adjusted the seat he'd notice. He'll pay particular attention to the hover projectors. Sure, this may have been one of the spares, but to tell the truth? This whole sabotage thing stinks. If he were a deranged lunatic hell-bent on giving the Scrapscallion a headache, he would've totally ripped the projector right off the bike, and punted it as far away as he could. And then he would've stomped on the spares for good measure. And maybe spray-painted some disparaging remarks about his choice of manestyle on the side of his biketruck.

Just saying, there's a lot easier and more effective ways to make his life miserable, but their little thief did none of that. So what the heck, man?

It's a good question. I mean, maybe they weren't trying to mess with you. Maybe they were trying to do something with the grav projector? I mean, what's in those things anyway? Do you know?

Luminark didn't summon a ghost to save his flank and then not let it save his flank, right? He lets it take the reins.

"About dad-gum time." comes the voice, as the mare takes control of his legs.

Luminark's hindquarters start to sway. Left, one two. Right one two. Spin.

The Decibugs swarm over the stack.

"Yer gonna need some partners fer this." grumbled the ghost, and Luminark's horn lit up. Books floated off the shelves, joining Luminark in a swarm of his own.

The Decibugs ... stop.

Twirl. Dip. Forwards.

The Decibugs start to move. Dipping, and swinging backwards.

Luminark steps backwards, the bugs swoop forwards. He steps to the side, and they swarm around him, twirling amongst the books as if they'd taken his hoof in theirs.

It's in this moment that Luminark is struck by the remembered knowledge that some bugs can communicate through dance. He is, in effect, speaking to the Decibugs. It's not a perfect form of communication, more a conveying of emotions and intent through the way they move with each other.

The bugs seem to be following his lead for now. What does he want to say?

Buggy doom behind, and death by Cliché ahead, this had the makings of an epic end and she had always liked the thought of going with a bang.

I'll be damned if I die in a bleeding library!

It was just as well Milliway happened to do her very best thinking when under pressure! An idea sparked in to existence in her mind and the eyes above on the chandelier suddenly became less creepy.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way!" Milliway called out to the monster as she approached, not ready to back down now. She continued at full gallop at the monster, zigging and zagging to dodge any attack as best she could as she dashed to run up the book-pile, jump, and make for the safety of the air vent above.

[Assuming this will need an AUF roll: 4+4+1=9

Tell me, what would it take to convert this amazing eyeball chandelier to become my eyeball chandelier? By that I don't mean simply to steal it, no, that's for fillies, no, I mean to hack in to it and convert it to a surveillance system of the library. This place clearly has Stuff going on. Stuff I'd like to keep eyeballs on.]

You're the savvyhead. You can probably rig up some kind of surveillance device without the need to mess with whatever is causing the chandelier to do ... whatever the heck it does. If you're specifically trying to co-opt the chandelier though, I'm gonna have to first ask Luminark if there's anything he knows about his sentient horde and what might need to be involved.

In the meantime, you've got the Cliché to worry about though.

You make it up the side of the book pile. Mostly because the beast takes a moment to roar at you before trying to attack. It takes a swipe at you, dislodging the far side of the pile when it misses. In that moment, you see your route - a jump just there, plant your hooves on its side, kick off to get it off balance, and you'll be able to reach the nearest vent.

The downside to this is it'll get a good chance to land a hit on you. You'll probably survive, but it'll hurt a bit.

What do you do?

[TheAmishPirate]

It's a good question. I mean, maybe they weren't trying to mess with you. Maybe they were trying to do something with the grav projector? I mean, what's in those things anyway? Do you know?

...magical go-fast?

I've been working with these things so long, I know how to take them apart, put them back together, and still have them work. But seriously? There's a lot of black box crap in here. Power goes to this pile of wires, something comes out this end, connects to the silver bit, and then gravity decides to go take a nap. (I'm sure they've got technical names for all this stuff, but really, The Scrapscallion gets by on his own terms.) I can replace these parts with nothing but my tail - now that was a fun day - but you better find a labcoat if you want to know what they do.

Either way, I wish Target Prac-dunce had told me more about where he found this thing. From what he said, it sounds like it was just tossed in the generator room somewhere. Sure would be helpful to know a little more.

[This is starting to feel like a Read a Sitch, but I'll wait until I hear the results of his once-over.]

[Thanqol]

"About dad-gum time." comes the voice, as the mare takes control of his legs.

Luminark's hindquarters start to sway. Left, one two. Right one two. Spin.

The Decibugs swarm over the stack.

"Yer gonna need some partners fer this." grumbled the ghost, and Luminark's horn lit up. Books floated off the shelves, joining Luminark in a swarm of his own.

The Decibugs ... stop.

Twirl. Dip. Forwards.

The Decibugs start to move. Dipping, and swinging backwards.

Luminark steps backwards, the bugs swoop forwards. He steps to the side, and they swarm around him, twirling amongst the books as if they'd taken his hoof in theirs.

It's in this moment that Luminark is struck by the remembered knowledge that some bugs can communicate through dance. He is, in effect, speaking to the Decibugs. It's not a perfect form of communication, more a conveying of emotions and intent through the way they move with each other.

The bugs seem to be following his lead for now. What does he want to say?

"She did it."

[Balmas]

Well, the diamond dog charges, but your magic is pretty darn strong. Laughing Gas takes a swipe to the barrel, and Jolly Kicks loses a leg, but your soldiers stand firm in the face of the attack, blasting away at it.

Within seconds, it's all over. The beast is bloody, badly injured, but beaten. You've got it pinned in your magic, and it's looking at you with what can only be described as primal hatred.

What do you do?

"Someone, get Laughing Gas to the infirmary before some infection sets in. Get a tourniquet on that leg and get Jolly to cybernetics before too many nerve endings die." Then, once I finish giving orders, I turn to the hellhound trapped in my magic.

"You know, everything about this situation says that I should kill you," I say frankly. "You've killed my people. You've snuck into my base. You've tried to kill me, and if I let you free, I can't help but think you'll do it again.

"Still, never let it be said that I do not give second chances. I want you to work for me. You will follow my orders, do what I say. And in exchange, I will give you food, a place to live, freedom. You will be upgraded, made more powerful, more durable. And of course, your life expectancy will be much longer; you could live for centuries.

"Given that your current life expectancy measures in minutes, I think it's a pretty generous offer."

[Elanorin]

You're the savvyhead. You can probably rig up some kind of surveillance device without the need to mess with whatever is causing the chandelier to do ... whatever the heck it does. If you're specifically trying to co-opt the chandelier though, I'm gonna have to first ask Luminark if there's anything he knows about his sentient horde and what might need to be involved.

In the meantime, you've got the Cliché to worry about though.

You make it up the side of the book pile. Mostly because the beast takes a moment to roar at you before trying to attack. It takes a swipe at you, dislodging the far side of the pile when it misses. In that moment, you see your route - a jump just there, plant your hooves on its side, kick off to get it off balance, and you'll be able to reach the nearest vent.

The downside to this is it'll get a good chance to land a hit on you. You'll probably survive, but it'll hurt a bit.

What do you do?

Milliway takes the leap, bracing for getting hit, and makes for the vent, mind set to extract every drop of blood from Luminark that this place would cost her.

[BlasTech]

...magical go-fast?

I've been working with these things so long, I know how to take them apart, put them back together, and still have them work. But seriously? There's a lot of black box crap in here. Power goes to this pile of wires, something comes out this end, connects to the silver bit, and then gravity decides to go take a nap. (I'm sure they've got technical names for all this stuff, but really, The Scrapscallion gets by on his own terms.) I can replace these parts with nothing but my tail - now that was a fun day - but you better find a labcoat if you want to know what they do.

Either way, I wish Target Prac-dunce had told me more about where he found this thing. From what he said, it sounds like it was just tossed in the generator room somewhere. Sure would be helpful to know a little more.

[This is starting to feel like a Read a Sitch, but I'll wait until I hear the results of his once-over.]

Would indeed.

Your once over of the bike fails to find anything unusual. But tell me, you feel this is worth a read a sitch? Why? What's making it so that this perfectly normal scene, in a secure garage, feels like a charged situation? What kind of things are triggering Scraps' sixth-senses here, and are there any events that influence this?

"She did it."

The swarm buzzes backwards, indignantly, before advancing with purpose.

"So what?"

It hums angrily. Losing cohesion for a moment as the bugs whirl around Luminark, ruffling books on the shelves.

"Fix. it."

"Someone, get Laughing Gas to the infirmary before some infection sets in. Get a tourniquet on that leg and get Jolly to cybernetics before too many nerve endings die." Then, once I finish giving orders, I turn to the hellhound trapped in my magic.

"You know, everything about this situation says that I should kill you," I say frankly. "You've killed my people. You've snuck into my base. You've tried to kill me, and if I let you free, I can't help but think you'll do it again.

"Still, never let it be said that I do not give second chances. I want you to work for me. You will follow my orders, do what I say. And in exchange, I will give you food, a place to live, freedom. You will be upgraded, made more powerful, more durable. And of course, your life expectancy will be much longer; you could live for centuries.

"Given that your current life expectancy measures in minutes, I think it's a pretty generous offer."

"Awww, but I wanted to get me a trophy" whines one of the other troopers, who has produced a rather wicked looking knife.

If you want to do it, you gotta roll it Glim Glam! This sounds like a threat. If so, go aggro.

If not, roll manipulate and offer him something tangible as leverage.

Milliway takes the leap, bracing for getting hit, and makes for the vent, mind set to extract every drop of blood from Luminark that this place would cost her.

The cliché catches you with a solid backswing as you jump past, and the next thing you know you're in the vents.

You're in the vents so hard, in fact, that there is now a Milliway-shaped dent in the other side of the aluminium duct.

[1 harm-ap]

The library seems to take that as suitable vengeance, and the monster roars once in satisfaction before heading back down into its pile of books. You're now in the vents above the library, and all the things that were trying to kill you seem to have lost interest.

What do you do?

[Elanorin]

The cliché catches you with a solid backswing as you jump past, and the next thing you know you're in the vents.

You're in the vents so hard, in fact, that there is now a Milliway-shaped dent in the other side of the aluminium duct.

[1 harm-ap]

The library seems to take that as suitable vengeance, and the monster roars once in satisfaction before heading back down into its pile of books. You're now in the vents above the library, and all the things that were trying to kill you seem to have lost interest.

What do you do?

aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAA- THUMP!

"...ow." *cough*

This is all his fault, you realise.

"...ow."

Spying on him isn't even close to enough payback.

Milliway winced and began prising herself free from her dent.

But it's a good start.

Once free she checked all limbs were still present and working within established parameters. Her head was ringing from that hit and she had to take a moment to regain a bit of clarity before taking in her situation. Bugs and monster backing off. Good.

Her eyes went to the chandelier, how far away is it now? She checked the direction of the air ducts to see if she could feasibly reach its fastenings to study it further. Could she?

[Rolling Harm: 4+2+1=7]

[Thanqol]

The swarm buzzes backwards, indignantly, before advancing with purpose.

"So what?"

It hums angrily. Losing cohesion for a moment as the bugs whirl around Luminark, ruffling books on the shelves.

"Fix. it."

Hard work! He could do hard work! Well, hard work wasn't ideal - hard work was actually a pain in the flank - but it was preferable to being eaten by angry bugs. Hard work! Luminark rapidly began skittering over to the fallen shelves and grunting as he began to exert his physical and magical strength to righting them. After almost three minutes of hard work he delegated the job to Fluffy.

Luminark needed his brain more than his brawn right now; he was hurriedly taking inventory of any damaged items and thinking about where he might find replacements or supplemental items. Hopefully expanding the library's catalogue would help get him off the Bad List.

[What are some things my Hoard wants that I might be able to go get?]

[Balmas]

Spoiler: Rollin' rollin' rollin' RAWHIIIIIIDE

Show

(2d6+2)[8]whitespace

[TheAmishPirate]

Would indeed.

Your once over of the bike fails to find anything unusual. But tell me, you feel this is worth a read a sitch? Why? What's making it so that this perfectly normal scene, in a secure garage, feels like a charged situation? What kind of things are triggering Scraps' sixth-senses here, and are there any events that influence this?

You know what? You're right. The Scrapscallion is a daredevil biker who fearlessly flirts with danger and royalty alike. All this creeping around and thinking carefully just isn't his style. So let's do this thing properly.

Satisfied that his bike his is still in one piece, the Scrapscallion ignored all other safety checks, mounted the Peregrine, and flippped her on. (This particular model of bike is ridden standing up, hugging the chassis while all four hooves work the pedals. It's the Scrapscallion's bike of choice.) The engine thrummed to life; he could feel it pressing into his chest. The hover projectors engaged, and added a steady vrom-vrom-vrom pulsing through his body. Bike and pony lifted off the ground. Not a lick of a breeze ruffled his forelock. The world and everything in it fell away to a distant, dull memory. There was only him, and this beautiful machine beneath. He mushed his cheek against the seat, all the better to feel it rattling in his skull.

Let the labcoats have their careful experiments. The Scrapscallion knew the only way to truly know a thing was to stick your face in it.

[Rolling to Open my brain about the Peregrine: 6 + 2 + 0 = 8]

[BlasTech]

aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAA- THUMP!

"...ow." *cough*

This is all his fault, you realise.

"...ow."

Spying on him isn't even close to enough payback.

Milliway winced and began prising herself free from her dent.

But it's a good start.

Once free she checked all limbs were still present and working within established parameters. Her head was ringing from that hit and she had to take a moment to regain a bit of clarity before taking in her situation. Bugs and monster backing off. Good.

Her eyes went to the chandelier, how far away is it now? She checked the direction of the air ducts to see if she could feasibly reach its fastenings to study it further. Could she?

[Rolling Harm: 4+2+1=7]

[Let's go with "lose your footing" for the harm move]

As you're craning your neck to find the chandelier, Milliway, your hooves slip out from under you.

Maybe you're still dizzy from that knock to the head, or it's that the vents here are on a slope, or maybe it's just the space-shifting nature of the library that's still in play. Whatever the reason, you now find yourself sliding uncontrollably down the ducts.

Eventually, after a short and humiliating ride, the shaft levels out again. The path back to the library is upwards, and it'll be difficult to get a hoof-hold on the slick walls. On the plus side, there's a grate in front of you that leads out of the air ducts.

The downside is that somepony on the other side seems to be screaming.

What do you do?

Hard work! He could do hard work! Well, hard work wasn't ideal - hard work was actually a pain in the flank - but it was preferable to being eaten by angry bugs. Hard work! Luminark rapidly began skittering over to the fallen shelves and grunting as he began to exert his physical and magical strength to righting them. After almost three minutes of hard work he delegated the job to Fluffy.

Luminark needed his brain more than his brawn right now; he was hurriedly taking inventory of any damaged items and thinking about where he might find replacements or supplemental items. Hopefully expanding the library's catalogue would help get him off the Bad List.

[What are some things my Hoard wants that I might be able to go get?]

The library needs new material. I mean, come on, it's been the same catalogue of stuff more or less for how many hundreds of years?

If you want to get back in the library's good books (heh), you're gonna have to find stuff that's new. Stuff that's different. Stuff that's interesting.

You're gonna have to go outside.

Spoiler: Rollin' rollin' rollin' RAWHIIIIIIDE

Show

[roll0]whitespace

"Heh. Pony." growls the diamond dog, as its eyes flicker between your troops. "I think you and I ... we be friends? ... Heh."

The monster seems to be waiting for you to make the next move.

A lot of your soldiers are also looking at you as if you've gone a bit batty. I mean, two of their own are now off to the infirmary and there'll be a lot of grumbling about this unless they can exact some kind of revenge.

What do you do?

You know what? You're right. The Scrapscallion is a daredevil biker who fearlessly flirts with danger and royalty alike. All this creeping around and thinking carefully just isn't his style. So let's do this thing properly.

Satisfied that his bike his is still in one piece, the Scrapscallion ignored all other safety checks, mounted the Peregrine, and flippped her on. (This particular model of bike is ridden standing up, hugging the chassis while all four hooves work the pedals. It's the Scrapscallion's bike of choice.) The engine thrummed to life; he could feel it pressing into his chest. The hover projectors engaged, and added a steady vrom-vrom-vrom pulsing through his body. Bike and pony lifted off the ground. Not a lick of a breeze ruffled his forelock. The world and everything in it fell away to a distant, dull memory. There was only him, and this beautiful machine beneath. He mushed his cheek against the seat, all the better to feel it rattling in his skull.

Let the labcoats have their careful experiments. The Scrapscallion knew the only way to truly know a thing was to stick your face in it.

[Rolling to Open my brain about the Peregrine: 6 + 2 + 0 = 8]

The world opens up beneath you, and in the wide open expanse it's clear that you are only one small part of it - perhaps not even the main part. Power thrums beneath. Beneath the mountains, the rivers, the grass, and beneath you as well - as the Peregrine lifts you up.

The technology involved in achieving even this is miles beyond your understanding. No offence. I mean, heck, most of the tech in the bunker is ahead of anypony except for maybe Milliway anyway. That's the way its always been. The sun rises, sets, rises, sets, rises, sets again. And everything beneath is untouchable, bathed in the irradiated glow of balefire and necromancy.

[Elanorin]

[Let's go with "lose your footing" for the harm move]

As you're craning your neck to find the chandelier, Milliway, your hooves slip out from under you.

Maybe you're still dizzy from that knock to the head, or it's that the vents here are on a slope, or maybe it's just the space-shifting nature of the library that's still in play. Whatever the reason, you now find yourself sliding uncontrollably down the ducts.

Eventually, after a short and humiliating ride, the shaft levels out again. The path back to the library is upwards, and it'll be difficult to get a hoof-hold on the slick walls. On the plus side, there's a grate in front of you that leads out of the air ducts.

The downside is that somepony on the other side seems to be screaming.

What do you do?

Oh she's not quitting just because it just got harder, or because somepony is in mortal danger and needs help. Doctors and nurses help ponies in need, she's neither. The screaming hurts her ears and for a moment she considers snarling to them to shut up, but then it occurs to her that the screaming might be due to some danger which she doesn't want to attracts, so, instead she just gets on with doing her level best in trying to clamber back up the ducts in pursuit of the chandelier.