Play By Post Dark Equestria Party Thread

Priests of the Sun tyrant tended to be obvious. At the very least, the ones Necrose knew were all alike, even the most agreeable were hard for him to deal with for extended periods of time. Content that this pegasus stallion was not like any of them, and caring more about his hunger than who this pegasus really was if not a priest of the Sun tyrant, the earth pony turned his attention back to his meal and let the ponies converse as they would.

He had only just finished his food when a mare stormed into the inn and proclaimed quite loudly that the Royal Guard would be coming at first light. That got his attention, and no sooner than the mare finished speaking did he call over to Jace to come back over to the table so they could discuss what to do.

He left shard to finish eating, turning his attention to necrose after observing the sudden outburst by this mystery mare. "so... do we believe her? and if we do, are we going to stay and fight or run off to hide in another town?"

Jace turned to Spell after the mystery mare had made her announcement and Necrose had called to him.

"Seems we have a fortuitious moment upon us, let us move post haste."

He stood up and walked to the table where Necrose and Zathra were.

"Well seems like we arrived at quite a time. Also..."

He nodded at Spell with his head.

"I found us a new companion for the road. Necrose, Zathra this is Spell. Spell these are Necrose and Zathra. Hope you guys don't mind?"

"Oh great, inquisition is on it's way, eh?" Spell asked, looking at a mare, she looked kind of suspicious...

She jumped off her saddlebag and opened it, something blue flew out trying to be sneaky, to if possible scout the area.

Toll for Sneak/hide (Daawn)


After this Spell took her saddlebags and went with Jace

"Hello guys, i guess" she replied and waved her hove

The big pony nodded at the foal when Jace intrduced her. "Nice to meet you," was all he said.

"And that's what I want you two's opinions about, Zathra," he said in response to the unicorn stallion's question. "Either we stay and fight, or we leave the ponies to this town to their fate. Either way, I believe her, and I say we stand and fight, but I'm not the sole decision-maker here. I had enough of that to last a lifetime when I was in the military." With that, he shot a glimpse over at the pegasus stallion to see his reaction to the news.

"We can stay and fight, through it will be either really easy or really difficult. All depends on what kind of people they send, the ones who actually know how to hold a toothpick in their mouth or how to hold a sword in it" Spell replied, she was waiting on Daawn to scout out the area a bit. Just in case.

Hawthorn turned to Goldenwings after the mare had delivered her message. "Well, you heard her. Let us be out then," he said bitterly. It was another place that the Guard would ravage, another place that he would flee from. He overheard the ponies plan to stand and fight from the table next to him and merely laughed.

"You cannot be serious, do you know who you stand against? This is the Princesses' personal army, no mere soldiers of fortune. They are trained and equipped beyond any of our means and when you finally surrender to their might..." he paused, recalling his own personal experience. "They will show no mercy."

Zathra shrugged at the earth pony. "and we know they're coming. we could just set up a defence against them. how hard could it be? especially if we got the towns people to help us. i say we fight"

"Perhaps we don't need to fight," suggested the priest as he lifted his hood over his head, causing some to grown a bit nervious, "I might be able to be of service... for a price." This will not suprise some ponies as the priest of the Sun and Moon have been know to accept bribe or payment for their services.

Turning to the mare that gave the warning he says with the authority expected of one with his status and position, "You there, who are you and why do you care what happens to the ponies here? More importantly how to you know what you do? You must be a pony with some sort connection to those going to raid this part of Ponyburg."

((She is not requires to answer Goldenwings but if you try to have her lie you will need to make a Bluff roll, if you try to have her explain herself a Diplomancy roll is needed.))

"I'm not sure fighting now would be the best choice. Since we would be fighting on their terms which would be bad."

Jace looked around the inn and shrugged.

"Also I'm not sure how much help we would get from townsfolk... there's too much uncertainties at play here for me to go with the stand and fight tactic, unless you can find something to convince me Zathra."

"Do not join blades with the Royal Guard, or you shan't see 'nother dawn!" Warned the mare in a slightly aggravated tone at their eagerness to face the enemy head on. "Like the stallion spoke", she looked at Hawthorn, "the Guard be not simple rank-and-file, but the very iron-clad hoof of the Empress, unflinching and inevitable! Only a simpleton would stand and fight rather than escape with their lives."

Goldenwing's question somewhat surprised the mare, and she turned her steely gaze at the pony, not speaking for a moment. "What does that matter? I am here to help, and time is short!"

((11 to Diplomacy))

Mythos know better then to believe it doesn't matter, that things only happen by chance but has to agree with the mare. Giving her a nod he says, "Yet helping others always come at a price, nothing is free. If those here run... they will lose just about everything they have to the greed of the guards. Yet if they fight they will most likely lose their lifes."

Turning to those in the room, a smile on his face as he holds out his hoove, "I myself cannot help... not without being paid well. Yet what I will tell you is that a plan is needed. A way to distract the guards from what they came here for."

Zathra grinned at the mysterious mare, then the priest, then Jace. "well, if we don't help them, they'll likely be killed by beasts or lose everything and die of sickness or hunger, but if we stay and fight, we'll either die fighting, or kill them, and save this town. we should find the strongest building in town, and gather the town's best warriors. your help would be very beneficial to us, and I'll gladly pay for your assistance in combat, but you'd better not try to leave before the battle is through"

Zathra then turned back to the mare. "I don't know why you're so spooked by some royal guards, I understand the danger, but would you truly leave everything you've ever known, if there was even a sliver of hope for victory? We must stand and fight! I'd happily give my life if it meant saving this town"

Zathra walked over to the bar tender. "Do you know how we could gather this towns strongest forces? Is there some way we could get the message out to ever citizen before the rise of the sun? I'll pay if any need it, but payment will be discuses tomorrow at the crack of dawn, and tonight. do you have any rooms you could rent us for free? if we don't fight, you'll lose your tavern anyway, right?"

"Zathra, you're not paying that pegasus," Necrose said a bit more authoritatively than he had intended. He had been silent the entire time, listening to the opinions of the others. Jace had a point, they would be fighting on the Royal Guard's terms, but the mare said she wanted to help, whatever she meant by that, and the ponies in this town needed help. That was enough for Necrose to want to do what he could do, but that pegasus. Even if he wasn't a priest of the Sun tyrant, his proclamation that he wouldn't help unless paid rubbed the earth pony the wrong way. "You, pegasus. What's your name?" he asked, but immediately changed his mind. "You know what? Nevermind. You listen to me and you listen well. I'm only saying this once: If you don't want to help, fine. Leave if you don't feel motivated to help, but I am not going to let you extort us for your aid. Do you understand me? I will agree we need a plan, but if you're going to help, you're doing it without pay. If that's too much for you, leave now and don't come back." He was being standoffish, but in his opinion, helping ponies should not hinge on being paid.

"Cease this foolish venture at once! Surely, when the Guard sees there are no ponies in town, they shall withdraw and you'll be able to return safely", Sunset attempted to persuade the others, growing increasingly aggravated. They did not surely think of fighting the guard? How could they?

The mare beat his hooves on the floor desperately and in annoyance, the exquisite plate mail flashing beneath her cloak and making metallic sounds as she moved. "So be it, then. If mine warnings be so unwisely ignored, doom may take you all."

Goldenwings gives Necros a hard stare, one that causes a few to cough and one to leave. Speaking calmly he says simply pointing to the one that , "You... may I speak to you? As in privately."

-----------

The bartender shakes his head saying, "And get killed? Only ponies with a death wish go against the guards." The stallion turns to see what is going on with the black stallion and the priest, looking nervious. The mare's shout also worried him and when he saw plate mail he looked truely scared.

Zathra's eye's shoot to the mare, growling at her. "i have a perfectly reasonable plan, that will raise our chances of victory significantly, and yet, you still insist on running away? I understand why you'd want to run, but do you not see that you're doing exactly what they want, running in fear. I'm staying and fighting, if you wish to run, then do so"

He turns back to the bar keeper. "will you do as i asked now?"

He turns to Necrose, grinning. "good to hear that you're on my side as always Necrose, i look forward to shedding blood with you tomorrow"

"I said no," The barkeep said a bit too loudly before saying, "I want you out of my bar!! There is a priest of the sun and a guard here." With that he looks at a pony nearby, a big one, who stood and looked at Zathra.

The mare's outburst did nothing to improve Necrose's mood. "Will you shut up?!" he shouted at her just after Zathra finished speaking to her, forgetting momentarily about the pegasus, and not even noticing what the bartender said. "Zathra is working on a plan, alright? Is that okay? Is that okay with you? We're working on a plan, alright? Don't get your tail in a knot!" With that, he lowered his voice and turned back to the pegasus. "Alright, you want to talk somewhere? Let's talk."

Zathra scoffed, glaring at the bar keeper but quieting down. "... i'm sorry, could you put in a request for mercenaries? i don't wish to cause a problem, but i /must/ insist you put up a want ad for mercenaries, is that really so much to ask?"

"I come to you, bringing words of warning in an attempt to save your lives, yet you do not heed me. Whatever stupidity causes you to so vainly throw away your lives, so be it, but do not drag others down with you", the mare said coldly, her features remaining unchanging.

"So be it, then. Let all you perish at dawn, then. I've done mine part, and it is up to you to do what you please with it." Sunset grabbed her cloak in her mouth and dragged it tighter around her as she turned towards the door, stopping to look back for a moment. "You still have time", she said one last time.

"Outside then," the priest says with a nod as he walked to the door before watching the stallion walk out. Once the door was closed completely he says softly, "Do you understand that priest of the Church of the Sun never give out there services for nothing? That the damned priests always ask for something from those that request their aid?"

Pacing a bit and looking around making sure no one was around he continued, "I am not a priest of the Church of the Sun but follow a different light. It is Harmony I follow, yet the worship of any religion other then the Churches of the Sun and Moon are forbidden. As part of my training I was taught how to pretend to be a priest of the Church of the Sun."

((Seem Sunset will be getting involved in the above conversation))

"Strange, i will be right back. Also yeah, we don't have to fight them, we can at least try to talk with them first. And only when, we could start sending hale of fire onto them." Spell replied, she would expect Daawn to be back sooner so she head out taking her things with her
"Don't stick here too long, by the way" she replied before exiting, she when would pass on all the stuff going on and would look around. A tiny blue bird landed on her back, afterwards they seemingly started to talk with each other. Spell was curious if Daawn seen anything from the sky above.

(rolled 17 on diplomacy)

"Do you really think your bar is better off with the guards running rampant? Do you really think it's safer to just sit back and do nothing as they kill your friends and family? I promise to protect you and your family, but you must put out an ad for mercenaries. please?"

Necrose scoffed at the pegasus' first statement. "Of course I know that," he hissed, "I spent 7 years working alongside some who were made to accompany my unit in the army. You don't forget something like that." He listened to the stallion explain himself with a blank face. Who or what ever this "Harmony" was, the earth pony had no idea. He'd heard some ponies in other towns whispering about another god-like being in Equestria, but it was hard to tell if they were being serious or just trying to lift the spirits of the downtrodden. "Whatever," he snapped. "I dealt with it for 7 years, I'm not putting up with it anymore now that I don't have to. Do you understand me? I don't care if you not asking for money blows your cover. If you insist on carrying on like that, there will be problems between you and me."

"Well you should realize that I always find a way to return the money or help those that give me the money is some other way," the stallion explained softly with a sigh still watching the area around him, "it is my way of countering having to take payment from others. Yet I have to still take the payment, i can't do anything for free."

He scoffed again."Fine. That's great. Good for you, you're not a total scumbag," he began, "But I don't care. Seven years is a long time to have to listen to that every single day, 'Pay me, or I won't heal your wounds or cure your poison.' I've had enough, and I'm not listening to it anymore!" He was shouting now, and didn't care if he was making a scene.

The stallion looks calmly on waiting for Necrose to stop speaking so loudly before offering softly, "How about this, an offer if you will. We make a show of you paying me to help... once this is all done I will give the money back. This is the best your going to get as this is the path I must follow to help others and spread the words of Harmony."

"Are you two going to argue or do stuff? I can pay you, if this solves this before my head explodes" Spell replied, Daawn sitting on her head and looking at arguing ponies "Harmony, huh? Crazy day"

"Fine!" he spat. "I give you money, you give it back when we're done. Whatever. But you won't be asking anypony else to pay you, got it? I 'paid' you to help, so everything's covered." It was them that he realized somepony was there with them. The filly Jace introduced. He stopped. "You heard all of that?"