Ok, Christmas is over, I'm back now.
Previous Threads: http://pastebin.com/QM9LjHMz
Recap:
> It's about 9pm, you're at "Thousand Island's Board and Board"
> It's a pub that serves food on planks, and board games.
> You decided to visit and socialize with non-elites before your trip to Canterlot.
> You met some ponies, had some food and drink, and played some historical game about a Griffon civil war.
> Your team lost, but just by a sliver, and everyone had a good time.
> You're now being invited to another game, but its getting late.
> Do you stay and play "The Secret of Horsehead Pass" or go home to get to sleep at a decent time?
>>25902944
We should get to bed. Thank everyone for their company and tell them we had a nice time cover the tip too.
>>25902944
Dong Adventure: Expanded.
Be back in fifteen, will tally actions and post then
>>25902944
Leave a big tip and head to bed, can't stay here much longer.
>>25902944
Finally, it's back!
I want to play the game. Get the pony equivalent of Redbull from the bartender.
So guys, last thread we had the option to pursue a hobby. I think painting sounds nice, what do you think?
>>25903422
Yes, I can see Etherbreeze wanting to paint some beautiful skyscapes.
>>25903362
Well, it looks like Etherbreeze wants to sleep and get up ready for tomorrow early.
>>25903112
>>25903348
"I need to get going actually, I'd love to continue but I've got an early morning" You say as you dismount from your chair.
> Alamint tilts her head, confused.
"But it'll be too wet to actually do any field work until midday, with this rain."
"Well, not everyone is a farmer you know" Rumrack interjects. "What exactly do you do that has you so preoccupied in the morning?"
> The others lean in, voicing their own interest in your activities.
> You can't help but roll your eyes.
> Actually you could, but your natural social instincts don't seem to think that such an expression would be out of place.
> And, you came here specifically so you wouldn't have to play pretend.
> Still, you didn't want to be too honest.
[Astounding Success - Lying (Not telling the whole story)]
"I've got some business in Rainwall, paperwork to deliver."
> When they hear Rainwall, they light up.
> When they hear paperwork those lights turn off.
> Any interest they had in your activities dried up.
"Well uh, have fun while you're there. Be a shame if you spent all the time and didn't enjoy yourself. And don't be a stranger!" Chloria says as she begins setting up the board for their next game.
> The others also give you a farewell before returning to their games.
> You retrieve your coat and return home.
>>25903884
Then what?
>>25902944
FUCK YEAH
U
C
K
Y
E
A
H
Gotta catch up.
So did we ever decide on the hobby?
I saw someone post about painting, and last thread someone suggested the Violin if I remember correctly.
>>25904166
Seems we have at least two for painting.
>>25904166
Three for painting, then.
>>25904314
Can confirm.
>>25903884
Nothing happened on the way back?
>>25905312
Nope.
>>25903884
> Sleep comes quickly, your mind well exercised and exhausted from paperwork, games, and the previous late night of work.
> You unusually have no dreams, or at least none that you can recall upon waking.
> In the morning you go through your usual routine.
> You bathe
> Brush your mane and tail
> Brush your teeth with a different brush.
> Polish your horn.
> The whole shtick takes about thirty minutes.
> Normally you'd enjoy the hot shower more, but you can't be late.
> Knowing Paperbloom, he was probably already at the office.
> Before you leave however, you pull out a box from your private desk.
> It's a plain wooden box, with your cutiemark etched into the top and a simple latch keeping it closed.
> A paint set you received as a gift from your brother while you were at academy, during your sophomore year.
> You stash it in your saddle pack.
-----
> A ride down the gondola and short walk around to the office front proved your assumption right.
> Paperbloom was loading your steamer trunk into the back of a carriage.
> A dark brown wood carriage, with two large skis tied to the back.
"Lady Etherbreeze! I wasn't expecting you so early." Paperbloom notices you.
> He finishes securing the trunk, then returns to you.
"I've handled hiring a carriage for your trip, once the team is finished with their meal at the inn we'll be ready to leave."
> By team, he means the draft ponys who will be pulling the carriage.
> Paperbloom's initiative to hire a carriage and team is a pleasant surprise.
> You weren't looking forward to trudging all the way to Rainfall.
----
Do you want to fast forward the trip to Rainwall, or talk enroute?
>>25905485
We have a brother too? Damn. Anywho, I can't think of anything to talk about.
>>25905485
Talk to him.
We've got to worm our way into this night-pact business and use it to get in good with Princess Luna.
>>25905838
This to be honest lad.
>>25905838
This.
Who could say no to this face?
>>25907373
Me. I dislike unicorns.
> Outside your carriage window, you see the sun reaching to its noon height.
> The draft ponys have kept pace as they were paid to.
> Despite the muddy conditions they haven't had to chain the skis over the wheels.
> It's left you and Paperbloom with a pleasant ride.
> The rumble of the road just leaves you to your thoughts, and your aide to a book he brought.
> Your mind wanders for some time, about various things.
> Some of them are frivolous, like the moves you made last night and what you could have done differently.
> Some of them are not so frivolous, like planning potential free time in Canterlot.
> Eventually however, your wandering thoughts return to the pony riding with you.
> The night-pact.
> You had let him go without question further about his Wintergrass last time.
> But the questions you had remained.
> Waiting until you were at Canterlot was an option, their libraries were the greatest in Equestria (sans Princess Twilight's personal archives).
> Leaning against the door of the carriage though, you decide not to wait.
> The serenity of the trip makes you impatient after all.
"Paperbloom?" You ask, only after speaking do you turn to face him. "You never did tell me."
> He looks up from his book.
"I'm not sure what... Oh."
> Paperbloom sullenly closes his book with a sigh.
"What is it you want to know then?"
---
Go ahead, ask questions.
A bump to live
>>25909896
I think he is wanting questions to ask Paperbloom...
I don't got any though.
>>25910004
I don't even read this, I just saw it on page 10 and decided to give it a bump because everyone needs one once in awhile.
reading the last post though I guess you should ask him to "start from the beginning"
how did you get into this situation? how long were you in it? what changed you? things like that.
>>25910068
Well we already know some stuff about the night pact...
From the first thread
Post 25804433
Night-Pacts are the descendants of the ponies that were blessed/cursed by Luna/Nightmare Moon near the end of a civil war. Batponies were pegasus that got touched, but apparently unicorns and earth ponies were also affected.
I'm curious about the Wintergrass thing myself. Maybe what it's like being nightpact or if he's "different" than other ponies.
>>25908322
Ask him why they stood by the Princess. Get the long version of the story.
>>25911187
> You mull a moment to decide on your first question.
"Why did the night-pact stand with Luna?"
[Astounding Success - Empathy]
> Paperbloom is silent for a moment.
> You can hear the faintest of scoffs, under his breath.
> He seems to find the question itself annoying, as if it were a common misconception.
"We didn't stand with her, we stood with the cause. When she took that cause as her own, we naturally looked to her as a leader."
> He shifts uncomfortably for a moment; a sense of frustration clear in his actions.
"I'm sure you know of the history, how the burghers defected, how Luna took it poorly. For those that were still loyal however, they chose to Luna's increasingly extreme rhetoric as unwavering dedication to what was righteous. Those that weren't particularly loyal saw the changes for what they were but stayed quiet for their own gain. Both accepted the Night-Pact for the power it would bring. By the time Luna ceased to be and Nightmare Moon was a reality, it was too late to turn back. The cause became part of Nightmare Moon's ego, and the Night-pact were bound to follow."
> Paperbloom shifts in he seat anxiously.
"Some would find the new princess of moon enthralling, and eventually become the source for nightmare cults. But!" Your aide exclaims emphatically. "The rest were consumed unwillingly by her magic, made part of her nightmare."
>>25911914
Inquire about the magic's influence on ponies. Did it fuck with the mind hard?
>>25911914
Ask which one he was.
>>25913355
This. Definitely this.
Although realistically, wouldn't we be asking which one his grandfather's grandfather was?
Actually, what is the timescale we're on here?
And did we ever get a house-sitter for Clearsky Manor before we left?
>>25908322
We should also ask what the Wintergrass festival is specifically.
>>25907373
>>25907385
Well, then it is a good thing that is a picture of a PEGASUS.
We need to ask him about EVERYTHING.
We are a curious little pony.
>>25913448
Whoops, I forgot about that. I guess we'll just say we found someone. Whoops.
The time scale is 1010ish years, since the civil war was building up and happening before nightmare moon, and there's been a year or two that Luna's been back. So most ponies don't even know who their original ancestor was (since they lost their noble titles, their pedigree became less important than hiding in the shadows and surviving).
>>25913355
You can tell from your successful empathy, his ancestor was not a proto-nightmare cultist.
>>25913488
This.
Ask about Wintergrass.
>>25913488
Cheeky, Mr. Hitler.
>>25913578
I share the sentiment displayed in your name and I'm oddly pleased with our mane colors we chose.
>>25914622
Is this cause he talks about related to that board game we played? What were their grievances?
>>25914622
Could we get a quick flashback paragraph about who we hired at Paperbloom's suggestion?
Followed by asking about Wintergrass, of course.
Dirty narwhalfuckers.
>>25915842
> Paperbloom found the partner of a local herbalist, a pegasus named Bluster Seed.
> They frequent the area to grab ingredients for their business partner via aerial recon.
> Since they operate in the area, they agreed to house sit for you.
> Obviously you locked away all your important documents in your hidden safe, and locked your room off as well.
> Other than that Bluster Seed had full range of the house; there wasn't much to steel since it had been mostly barren after your cousin's death.
>>25913488
>>25914692
>>25911914
"How does Wintergrass work into this then?" You ask, after the awkward silence that finished Paperblooms first explanation.
> He starts to speak, but is interrupted a bump in the road.
> From outside one of the draft ponies yell an apology.
> Both you and Paperbloom spend a moment to put your things back under the seats.
> Apparently the interruption raised his spirits.
> When he begins again, his mood is slightly uplifted.
"Well, the years following the civil war were rough for most night-pact. Despite Celestia's objections, loyalist and turncoats passed the 'Act of Zeroes'. In accordance with it, all Night-Pact would be stripped of their property, title, and prior contracts; in return they would be forgiven of treason. Some night-pact, who had cultivated webs of favors before the war, were able to find a place in society. The rest found themselves starting from zero, just as the Act intended."
> That would explain why bats were so under-represented in the nobility despite their sizable minority.
> No doubt plenty of non-nightpact rebels and loyalists profited from the redistribution of estates, properties, and contracts.
"The night-pact dispersed from the capital after their 'sentence' was handed down, and spread out through Equestria as nobodies at best, hated traitor scum at worst. The years following they struggled to find footing in society again, but the magic of the night-pact kept them together."
>>25917063
So is he getting to what Wintergrass is or...?
>>25917063
"What magic would that be?" you interrupt.
> He chuckles, and looks at you with a hint of ridicule.
> This is a mercurial side you've never seen of him before.
"You know, that's usually what people ask first, when they find out I'm a night-pact." Paperbloom laughs. "I'll clue you in the though: the winter solstice is when the night is at its best."
> It probably was too much to ask for that kind of information.
> Paperbloom's grin at your expressions seems to indicate he agrees.
"Wintergrass is when we celebrate the ties that were left after the Act of Zeroes, its a time when Night-Pact meet and celebrate durring the longest night of the year."
> A celebration, almost like hearthwarming but with fellow night-pacts.
> Yet something didn't make sense.
"Do all night-pact celebrate Wintergrass?" You ask.
"Ofcourse, why do you ask?" Paperbloom replies, a subtle smug tone still in his voice.
"Well, its odd. Why haven't I heard of Wintergrass if its such a big celebration?"
> Your aide laughs and looks out his window.
> You glare into the back of his head, you don't particularly enjoy this side of his personality.
> Or his face.
"Well?" You ask again.
> This time he answers.
"Well, not all parties happen with the waking."
>>25917492
I'm getting impatient and he's starting to freak me out. Could you please just give it to me straight you Nightmarecultist fuck?
WHAT IS WINTERGRASS
WHAT MAGICY SHIT ARE THE NIGHTPACT INVOLVED IN
AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOU
>>25917549
Uh, I don't find it that hard to understand.
Wintergrass is a winter solstice celebration, that doesn't happen in the waking world...
Which means it takes place in the not-waking world? Probably some sort of dream fiesta?
>>25917573
Or maybe they do it when everyone else is asleep.
>>25917573
It has to be a dream-walking thing.
I bet they use it to pass information covertly to each other too.
Looks like we need to hit up the university after all to study some oneiromancy.
>>25917063
Ask him what his family lost and, subtly, what he would do for us if we were to get it back.
>>25917492
Okay, so it is a dream world celebration? Get confirmation on this. If we guess wrong, maybe he'll correct this.
Wait, can we come along to Wintergrass? Purely as a show of support for our nightpact constituents, of course. Not at all because we can fly in our dreams. That would be a silly reason.
>>25918539
Thank you for knowing Greek, anon. Oneiromancy sounds much cooler than somnomancy, which is what I would have called it.
>>25917492
Whose dreams does Wintergrass take place in.
Luna's? The collective subconscious? Is it a road trip where we hit multiple dream stops?
I just ask, because our dreams might have certain... features we might not want to broadcast to everyone.
>>25919284
He exactly do you want to ask?
Are you suprised and worried?
Are you suspicious and reserved?
Are you pleasantly curious?
Are you feeling one way but actually pretending to be another?
>>25919398
I just want a full straight answer damnnit. Remain reserved but on the inside be slightly annoyed by his roundabout, beat-around-the-bush way he's being.
>>25919398
Ask HOW Wintergrass can take place in dreams.
Ask WHICH dreams it takes place in.
Ask WHY it is in dreams in the first place.
>>25919457
Some smelly called me, they are going to be abducting me so I'm gonna be gone for the rest of the night. Sorry my friends and players!
>>25919705
I meant to say, some smelly irl friend. Probably important I mention that
>>25919398
Curious, of course, because we usually don't dream at all.
>>25919919
You don't dream, anon?
That's a shame.
>>25919398
Pleasantly curious...
>>25919666
...because satan trips demand it.
>>25919919
>we usually don't dream at all
Actually, we do. In >>25905485 it was said that "you UNUSUALLY have no dreams", which means that usually we do.
And, another bump.
>>25921571
Damn, they're stealing our dreams so they can have their Nightpact circlejerk.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vjvDe7vIL._SX376_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
>>25922508
The mental image that this post conjures up is both hilarious and terrifying.
BUMP, noun
IPA: /bÊŒmp/
1) A light collision.
2) A slight protuberance from a otherwise relatively flat surface.
3) A internet post made in order to keep a thread alive, raise its visibility, or lament the fact that long name cyoa is awesome but updates about as frequently as valve releases videogames.
I'm Etherbumping this Etherquest.
Added to the archive:
http://anonpone.pineapplecomputing.com/longname/
Just to note, the 'Post ID' in the fanart section attaches images to specific QM posts ala http://anonpone.pineapplecomputing.com/anotherday/24077296
>>25923767
It doesn't have the pencil doodles.
How do we add them?
>>25923807
I'm adding them now.
>>25923767
We have arrived.
Bumping for post writing
>>25928189
Yay.
>>25919666
>>25920994
[Success - Composure (Not freaking out at your fears)]
[Great Success - Lying (Feigning curiosity)]
"A dream?" You ask, with a hint of humor.
> Dream walking was a well known power of Luna, and one feared by many with political clout.
> She assured others that her use of oneiromancy was benign, but its capacity for uncovering secrets was obvious to any with half a brain.
> The possibility that others might be able to perform such acts was frightening; you had to allay any notion that others could also walk your private thoughts.
> Not that you'd show your fear, that'd be counterproductive.
> Paperbloom chuckles, closing the book he had just started to open again.
"Well, yes. The nightpact were scattered after their judgement, and ponies far and wide feared them. Even if we told ponies we just wanted to have hearth warming with others, do you think they would believe us? Their imaginations would turn any large get together into some horrible ritual of evil, and bring out their inner pitchforks-and-torches."
> He shrugs as if his next words were obvious.
"Meeting each other in slumber was the safest way to gather."
> That was logical and reasonable, but not enlightening.
> You make an addendum to your question.
" Who got the honor of hosting?"
> Paperbloom looks at you quizically, requiring a moment to puzzle out what you meant.
> A quick forming 'o' on his face lets you know when he understood.
"No, it wasn't in any of our dreams. Its..."
> The stumped expression returned to his face, and he tapped his book in contemplation.
> It was suspenseful waiting for an answer.
"It... I guess you could say when Luna bestowed the night-pact, it wasn't her giving us some of her power. It was instead her creating a link between the recipient, and the moon. Not the ACTUAL moon but..."
> Paperbloom grunts in frustration as he tries to formulate the words he needs.
>>25928471
Fuck him. We'll just go read about it.
>>25928471
>not the actual moon
The idea of the moon, then?
Maybe what the moon represents, then?
Night? Shadow? Distance? Unattainability?
Encourage him to continue.
>>25928471
"I'm not sure of the actual theory or magical terminology but the best way to explain is... There's the moon, with a little m that is just the physical thing. Then there is THE Moon, like an idea or soul, but different. Much of Luna's power comes from being intrinsically linked to that."
> Paperbloom pauses again.
> Eventually he gives himself a nod, satisfied with his explanation.
"When Luna endowed us, she broke off a peice of MOON, and made something new; the Nightpact. By pledging ourselves, we became part of that idea, just like Luna was entwined with MOON. Normally only unicorn night-pact could walk the dreams of those near them, and that was only with great mastery. But during the winter solstice, our link to night-pact is so strong that we all share a single dream."
[Success - Arcane Theory (Understand the babble)]
> Paperbloom wasn't using actual terminology, but what he was explain sounded like some of the more abstract theories you read about durring your last year in Academy.
> The fact that Unicorns who were part of this night-pact could also walk dreams was worrying, but it seemed rare even among them.
> You lean back into your chair much more relaxed knowing that this Wintergrass wasn't going to unveil any of your secrets.
> You turn to look at Paperbloom again, but he's gone pale.
> When he notices you looking at him, he flails a bit getting his book open again.
"I think I've probably- that's enough questions for now, this book isn't going to read itself."
[Empathy - Astounding Success (Gauging Emotions)]
> Once again his emotions have changed, but you recognize it quite well.
> He's acting like someone who realized he's been gabby.
> You probably won't get anything more out of him, so you look out the window again.
> Outside the draft ponies getting ready to set up camp.
> Tomorrow you'll be traveling through the Rainfall Delta.
>>25928668
Still don't know the fuck he's on about. After they've set up camp and if there's enough light out let's paint a bit.
>>25928730
seems that the 'dream' they inhabit for the wintergrass thing, is the dream of what magical thing gives them their nightpact powers. so we don't need to worry about our dreams being tampered with.
>>25928795
Hold on, so the kind of... Magical force Luna draws power from is what they use to have their Nightpact party through?
>>25928668
So, the Moon is the host.
I wonder what it dreams about.
>>25928668
Could you tell us about the Rainfall Delta?
Wait, so according to Paperbloom, nobody hosts the Wintergrass, and everyone just meets in the Moon.
If we meet in our dreams in the Moon, then that means that the Moon can dream. And if the Moon can dream, then the Moon can have a nightmare.
Can you please tell us what we know about Nightmare Moon in this universe?
Emergency page ten bump.
Our drawfag posted this in the CYOA general. Reposting it here as a bump.
>>25928730
>>25928900
>>25928987
>>25930746
Ok so since you succeeded your Arcane Theory check this is what you know.
> Luna took a piece of MOON (conceptually, not physically) and tore it off to make something that was like MOON, but not MOON.
> She then linked all the night-pact to it, like she was linked to MOON.
> This not-MOON (which many night-pact refer to as NIGHT or just simply as the Night-pact) is as much a part of each night-pact, as they are of it.
> During winter-solstice (the longest night of the year), their bonds to night-pact are so strong that by proxy, they have bonds to each other.
> This leads to them all having a single shared dream.
It should be pointed out, night-pact is separate from MOON (and has slowly changed and evolved over time since its tied to so many ponies, and because their is no physical entity tied to the idea). That means Luna is completely separate from night-pact; their magic is similar but ultimately different.
As for Nightmare Moon, there's lots of theories but the princesses have never done more than say "she's better". Some say Nightmare Moon is as the name says, just a nightmare Luna had. Others say its some dark spirit that hides on the moon. A few even suggest that Nighmare Moon doesn't even exist, and it was just Luna who re-branded herself to bolster her self-esteem after the Burgher's betrayal.
You're not an expert on Arcane Theory and history, just well learned in magic. As such, you just know of some of the theories but don't have the understanding to judge them (just like people can know about E=MC^2 but not understand all the ramifications of it).
>>25934232
Okay, makes sense. Let me see if I've got this.
The night pact is a permanent magical spell made out of conceptual moon energy. It targets many ponies, linking them together as a side effect. The strength of the bond varies by how much night there is around, reaching its peak during the winter solstice.
Is that about it?
Side questions:
Does magic decay, or is the night pact eternal? Could it be dispelled by a sufficiently powerful unicorn.
>>25929564
Rainfall Delta is a delta (imagine that!) that forms from the meeting of Rivers (literally called that, it starts somewhere in the mountains between Hayseed and the Badlands, and gets fed into by all the swamps and lakes in Hayseed to become a massive network of intertwining creeks and rivers that are too numerous to all name individually) and the Celestial Ocean (the ocean east of Equestria). The Delta has an actual island in it, which is where Rainfall City was built. The entire island is now developed, and further development has been slow but steady (most of the 'land' of a delta is actually just piles of sediments, so building foundations off the island is expensive and dangerous).
Rainfall City is the Capitol city of Hayseed, and has about 1.5x the population of Ponyville (though much more dense).
>>25934277
It's not powered by conceptual moon energy, it IS a concept, made from a piece of the moon's concept that was torn out by Nightmare Moon.
Destroying the Night-pact would require severing each individuals link with Night-pact, or destroying the concept itself. The later is probably not possible, the former could probably be done with very powerful dark-magic if you could find every night-pact.
Oh boy
bup
>>25934332
I think the real question is: can Etherbreeze get in?
