Call of Colthulhu: Team One's Adventures

A1C Bronymous wrote:Flashpoint settles back, with a look that screams, 'You made the bed, sleep in it.' But casually, slowly, he begins circling around behind the shimmery monster pony, getting a good look at it.

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Perception on it, I guess. 10+11=21

Ignoring the slightly annoying gem's protests, you carefully loop around the group to take a better look at the pony. The stranger doesn't even turn to look at you, seemingly fixated on the pair of unicorns. A long black cloak covers its entire body, and unlike its features, the remainder of its body doesn't seem to shift. It seems about average in stature, maybe a little thinner. The cloak is remarkably similar to the one Mirrored Clear wore, down to the faintly embossed hem of the hood. There is a slight bulge at its side that indicates a saddlebag.

"Seriously, not helping your case." Aurora blinked...When had they moved? Did they simply teleport? That seemed a waste of power...Was it able to conceal even the basics of moving...? She shifted slightly, putting herself between the gem and the "Aspiration," as the being had called itself. The unicorn narrowed her eyes, staring at the...Thing. "Besides, sounds to me like the gem's made up its mind. It doesn't wanna be anywhere near you. So back off. I don't have the patience to be arguing this with somepony who is more interested in being vague than anything. This doesn't have to get ugly, but if you take another step, I'm not gonna hold back."

Caden2112 wrote:"Seriously, not helping your case." Aurora blinked...When had they moved? Did they simply teleport? That seemed a waste of power...Was it able to conceal even the basics of moving...? She shifted slightly, putting herself between the gem and the "Aspiration," as the being had called itself. The unicorn narrowed her eyes, staring at the...Thing. "Besides, sounds to me like the gem's made up its mind. It doesn't wanna be anywhere near you. So back off. I don't have the patience to be arguing this with somepony who is more interested in being vague than anything. This doesn't have to get ugly, but if you take another step, I'm not gonna hold back."

The pony fixes its gaze onto Aurora.
"That artifact is dangerous, Arcane Aurora. Power beyond your wildest imagination. At a price more costly than anything you can fathom. We had it contained before, we can do so again." The pony's features seem to warp into a scowl, underneath the shimmering magical effect. "You invite disaster for each passing moment you allow the gem to influence you. Already, you act rash and emotional."

"Well, we got a split second taste of the power you mentioned (nothing we could actually retain, though), but the Giver said it just wanted to be left undisturbed. What's the real cost you're talking about? And..how could you have "lost" it? I mean, it wasn't always in that gem, was it? The soul-containing properties of Avantine was one of the last things that Mirrored Clear discovered, so I presume that she's the one who put the Giver in there. What, did she barge into some "soul-jail" and bust the Giver out?"

Flashpoint flaps into the air behind the shimmer pony, at the ready. "How about we all just calm down and talk, hmm? Answer some questions, flesh out the details, get a good understanding of who you are and what you want. For example, are you Mirrored Clear? And if not, where did you get her edgy little cloak?"

Persuasion: 6+8=14

A1C Bronymous wrote:Flashpoint flaps into the air behind the shimmer pony, at the ready. "How about we all just calm down and talk, hmm? Answer some questions, flesh out the details, get a good understanding of who you are and what you want. For example, are you Mirrored Clear? And if not, where did you get her edgy little cloak?"

Persuasion: 6+8=14

The figure regards Flashpoint for a moment. "No. I am not. And this is my cloak."

"See? Getting answers already. Tell you what, Mirrored had to do with this gem, and she wore a cloak like yours. It stands to reason you might know about where she is. If you tell us, we'll give you the gem, sound good?" He glances at the other two. "Not like we have a use for it, anyway."

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I'm not sure how you feel about multiple persuasion rolls. Should I roll again, or hold off?

A1C Bronymous wrote:"See? Getting answers already. Tell you what, Mirrored had to do with this gem, and she wore a cloak like yours. It stands to reason you might know about where she is. If you tell us, we'll give you the gem, sound good?" He glances at the other two. "Not like we have a use for it, anyway."

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I'm not sure how you feel about multiple persuasion rolls. Should I roll again, or hold off?

OOC: Hmm. The subject matter is different enough, go for another.

Lyntermas wrote:"Well, we got a split second taste of the power you mentioned (nothing we could actually retain, though), but the Giver said it just wanted to be left undisturbed. What's the real cost you're talking about? And..how could you have "lost" it? I mean, it wasn't always in that gem, was it? The soul-containing properties of Avantine was one of the last things that Mirrored Clear discovered, so I presume that she's the one who put the Giver in there. What, did she barge into some "soul-jail" and bust the Giver out?"

Rolling Persuasion...13 (1d20) + 11 = 24

Lyntermas wrote:

Lyntermas wrote:"Well, we got a split second taste of the power you mentioned (nothing we could actually retain, though), but the Giver said it just wanted to be left undisturbed. What's the real cost you're talking about? And..how could you have "lost" it? I mean, it wasn't always in that gem, was it? The soul-containing properties of Avantine was one of the last things that Mirrored Clear discovered, so I presume that she's the one who put the Giver in there. What, did she barge into some "soul-jail" and bust the Giver out?"

Rolling Persuasion...13 (1d20) + 11 = 24

"Mirrored Clear is but one part of the events that resulted in the Giver's escape." The Aspiration scowls again. "It was not... 'lost'. We do not simply lose artifacts of cosmic influence."

Persuasion roll: 2+6= At least it wasn't a crit fail.

A1C Bronymous wrote:Persuasion roll: 2+6= At least it wasn't a crit fail.

"There are things... that you should not know about, Flashpoint of White Tail Junction." The Aspiration says. "There are secrets that we hold that could... You delve too deep already."

Now it was Torque’s turn to frown. “…’Delving too deep’? Listen, Aspiration, we’ve already encountered a memory-stealing lich named Zanbar, who served the tentacled information-broker called Xenith. We believe Mirrored Clear has a collection of writing called the Apocrypha, and that she’s possessed by an entity called Nythzul, who apparently has ties to an ancient city called Eldriaa. So…if we continue trying to find Mirrored Clear (which we will), we’ll probably be getting our fill of ‘dealing with ancient forces we don’t understand because mysterious vague ponies don’t tell us relevant and vital information.’”

He took a deep breath to try and calm down. “Between her pursuit of soul magic, and apparently being part of the Giver’s “escape”, Mirrored’s most likely in over her head and may end up hurting herself or others. If you have any knowledge of Mirrored Clear’s whereabouts or knowledge of what she’s plotting, we need to know. Otherwise, as dubious as the Giver may be, we’ll be giving up one of our few leads to somepony who, to be frank, we don’t know we can trust.” He muttered to himself. “Heck, for all we know, you might just want the Giver so you can take over the world.”

Rolling Persuasion for Aspiration to give us info on Mirrored…7 (1d20) + 11 = 18.

“Speaking of which,” Torque looked over at the Avantine gem. “I’m not sure what your deal is, Giver. Your “gifts”, while potent, didn’t really give us any lasting benefit. Meanwhile, Skyline got drained, Shayma got teleported to who knows where, and apparently there may be some…” He glanced over at the Aspiration. “…rather undetailed cost to interacting with you. So, if you want to fully explain your side of the story, now’s the time, because at this point I don’t know if it would be more of a hassle to hand you over or keep you around.”

Rolling Persuasion for Giver to tell its side of the story…18 (1d20) + 11 =29

Lyntermas wrote:
Rolling Persuasion for Aspiration to give us info on Mirrored…7 (1d20) + 11 = 18.
Rolling Persuasion for Giver to tell its side of the story…18 (1d20) + 11 =29

The Aspiration looks between Flashpoint and Torque. "We are aware of the predicament you are in." It pauses, tilting its head. A few seconds later, it speaks. "...It has been decided that we... I... may exchange information for the Giver. Your detriment, we have concluded, is less important than the Giver's security. Return the Giver, and I give you my word that I will answer you questions, as far as I am able."

The Aspiration taps a hoof, and a thin burning collar appeared around the pony's neck. "One of the Aspiration never breaks their word."

"It lies!"

"The Aspiration deal in dark secrets, hoarding dangerous artifacts, living under the surface of this city. They are a danger to us all!"

"I only seek to protect myself... My magic is too powerful, even I cannot contain it, let alone dark dealing cowards as the Aspiration. Even now, I repress all of my power to merely speak; your minds would buckle under my true voice. I am a danger to society, and I will not see my power be abused by the likes of the Aspiration!"


"It is a selfish otherworldly entity. That much I can say without cost. The Giver wants nothing less than domination over... what it calls the lesser races."

Torque listened to both the cloaked pony and the gem, trying to sort out the information. He tried to figure out if he could tell which story was true and which was false (or if they were both right, in which case they had to decide between two evils).

Rolling Perception on the Aspiration...18 (1d20) + 8 = 26
Rolling Perception on the Giver...15 (1d20) + 8 = 23

"You two can't be serious. We're seriously considering handing the gem to somepony who would have stolen it without a word, now? Especially considering it seems to know a lot more about us than it's letting on. How do we know it's not one of Xenith's proxies? If its motives were on the level, it wouldn't need to hide its face like that, now would it?" Aurora glared suspiciously at the Aspiration, shaking her head. Maybe she was being influenced by it, but the whole situation seemed very suspicious...'convenient' timing, murky motives, questionable means...And what seemed like some kind of hivemind...What was this thing, anyhow?

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Perception to try and see what's under those illusions.
1d20+8 = 20! + 8 = 28 ...Well then.

Supplementary Arcana in case I need it.

1d20+15 = 6 + 15 = 21

Lyntermas wrote:Torque listened to both the cloaked pony and the gem, trying to sort out the information. He tried to figure out if he could tell which story was true and which was false (or if they were both right, in which case they had to decide between two evils).

Rolling Perception on the Aspiration...18 (1d20) + 8 = 26
Rolling Perception on the Giver...15 (1d20) + 8 = 23

Aspiration seemed honest enough, if a little vague and mysterious. Nothing about it tells Torque that it is lying, but the potential that it is simply withholding information remains strong, and Torque suspects as much. The Giver, on the other hand, doth protest too much, Torque thinks. Without real features to inspect, he can't be too sure, but something about the Giver's claims (as well as Aurora's behavior come to think of it) seems off.

Caden2112 wrote:"You two can't be serious. We're seriously considering handing the gem to somepony who would have stolen it without a word, now? Especially considering it seems to know a lot more about us than it's letting on. How do we know it's not one of Xenith's proxies? If its motives were on the level, it wouldn't need to hide its face like that, now would it?" Aurora glared suspiciously at the Aspiration, shaking her head. Maybe she was being influenced by it, but the whole situation seemed very suspicious...'convenient' timing, murky motives, questionable means...And what seemed like some kind of hivemind...What was this thing, anyhow?

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Perception to try and see what's under those illusions.
1d20+8 = 20! + 8 = 28 ...Well then.

Supplementary Arcana in case I need it.

1d20+15 = 6 + 15 = 21

There... isn't.
It's a little unsettling, but it's almost as though the Aspiration's appearance was... struck off from reality, somehow. It wasn't anything taboo or illegal that she knew of, no transfiguration involved or even blood sculpting. It just... wasn't there. Aurora's mind tells her that a face *should* be there, but the reality of the situation was that it didn't have a face. Yet it had features, and eyes, and a mouth, just not a face.

The Aspiration turns its head to look at the unicorn. "We do not... hide... our faces. We have nothing to hide."

"I fully agree on the "knowing more than they're letting on" bit, but...I actually believe that the offer is made in earnest. And something about the Giver...doesn't quite sit well with me. And if I believe that the Aspiration has been relatively honest up to this point..."

The Aspiration wrote: "You invite disaster for each passing moment you allow the gem to influence you. Already, you act rash and emotional."

Torque looked over at Arcane Aurora. "Aurora, are you...feeling alright? I mean, I wish for the truth of the matter to be laid clear as much as you do, but...you're rather passionate about defending an entity that we know as little about as we do the Aspiration. I...well, this may sound awkward, but you mentioned that the gem was able to "resonate" with the spirit board and with the Aspiration while it was "cloaked". Could I...just check if the gem is trying to "resonate" with you in some way? By all means, feel free to check yourself as well (and me as well, if you think the Aspiration's gotten in my head somehow). It's just...I'm feeling a bit paranoid and this would help me be sure that our argument is "our" argument."

Torque tried to bring up what he remembered about magical analysis while looking over Aurora.

Rolling Arcana on Aurora...10 (1d20) + 7 = 17.

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OOC: Aurora: You call that a magical analysis? I'll show you a REAL magic analysis!!....Oh.

Lyntermas wrote:"I fully agree on the "knowing more than they're letting on" bit, but...I actually believe that the offer is made in earnest. And something about the Giver...doesn't quite sit well with me. And if I believe that the Aspiration has been relatively honest up to this point..."

The Aspiration wrote: "You invite disaster for each passing moment you allow the gem to influence you. Already, you act rash and emotional."

Torque looked over at Arcane Aurora. "Aurora, are you...feeling alright? I mean, I wish for the truth of the matter to be laid clear as much as you do, but...you're rather passionate about defending an entity that we know as little about as we do the Aspiration. I...well, this may sound awkward, but you mentioned that the gem was able to "resonate" with the spirit board and with the Aspiration while it was "cloaked". Could I...just check if the gem is trying to "resonate" with you in some way? By all means, feel free to check yourself as well (and me as well, if you think the Aspiration's gotten in my head somehow). It's just...I'm feeling a bit paranoid and this would help me be sure that our argument is "our" argument."

Torque tried to bring up what he remembered about magical analysis while looking over Aurora.

Rolling Arcana on Aurora...10 (1d20) + 7 = 17.

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OOC: Aurora: You call that a magical analysis? I'll show you a REAL magic analysis!!....Oh.

You sense a trace of the gem's magic on the mare. But that might just be remnants from the Giver's 'gifts', you can't be too sure.

"I'm fine, it's just been a rough day. This pony is...It...There's...Just what are you?" Aurora paused, stepping back. "That's...Certainly the first time I've ever seen somepony's face just not exist at all." She took a breath, addressing Torque more directly, though her gaze never left the Aspiration. "I'm fairly sure my thoughts are my own, though I suppose I wouldn't be able to tell if they're not so easily. I do have a trump card, though, if you're so worried about our minds being influenced. My hoof itched a bit earlier, but I'm pretty sure it was just thing thing's attempt to hide fizzling. That or whatever it's using to hide what it is from us."

"I'm...getting some magic that matches the gem, but I can't tell if it's from the Giver actively influencing you, or leftover traces from its "gift" earlier." Torque looked up at Aurora. "Look, whether you use your "trump card" now or not is your business, but if you could do some sort of "magic self-analysis", I might be a bit more at ease. I know we all hated it when Zanbar messed with our minds, and I'm just worried that it's happening again...or maybe I'm just being paranoid about something the Aspiration said."

"At any rate, I'm voting for giving the Giver to the Aspiration. I'm not saying that I fully trust either of them, but...I've got a sense that the Aspiration is being honest (well, relatively honest) with us, while the Giver...well, "doth protest too much". The information is limited, yes, but that's what my gut instinct is telling me."

"Fine, fine, if you say so, I'll take a look. You...May have a point, I almost didn't realize what Xenith was doing until it was too late, best to be cautious. I still don't trust this Aspiration any further than I could throw this campus." Aurora waved a hoof dismissively, trying to scan themselves for irregularities. Torque's insistence was a little irritating, but she was willing to concede that, at least on the influencing, paranoia worked better than just going with the flow.

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Arcanaing...Myself. You know, I honestly figured saying that would wait for a few more scenarios.

1d20+15 = 17+15 = 32