FoE RPG G0 - #010 Grasslands: Crossroads

[20:27]<SpiritOfFate>	Group 0: *Epitaph* - Session #10 starts now
[20:28]<SpiritOfFate>	=========================================================
[20:34]<SpiritOfFate>	Freedom. A dream of everypony, maybe forgotten during too long times of hardship. Yet, here it is, present to the group of ex-slaves, so poweful it can almost be touched. They hide behind the bushes on the other side of the road, finally free from the tall walls of the landfill. Though the night is still dark, the moonlight lets you see the thick forests west, the road to the beaches and to the railroad south of you, the plains, dotted by sm
[20:34]<SpiritOfFate>	all ruined houses that disappear in the night, all east of you, and far beyond them the lights of the nearest settlement.
[20:40]?	Royal_Lace looks back over the group before steping nearer to Nick Nack, "Since no pony is arguing Ill assume no one minds if I teleport our late mistress back to her room and locking her in before rejoining you"
[20:40]?	Wintergreen sighs, looking around. "We should find a place to rest for the night, possibly these bushes, and then I vote to head to the railroad... there will probably be supplies to scavenge there."
[20:41]?	Ignis nods. "Seems fair enough for me...just..." The dragon looks over at the manor's contorts. "We cannot get anything further from here if its locked up down..."
[20:43]<SpiritOfFate>	Knick Knack fidgets, still quite distressed for all this. She looks at Royal_Lace confused, unsure of what to think.
[20:43]?	Sotho nods. "I agree with loking by the railroad, but then we should travel near the forest, many herbs and food could be there."
[20:44]?	Firefly is quiet and very sleep. Its apparent to those who are paying attention that she is fighting to stay awake.
[20:44]?	Royal_Lace pulls out a few small items and starts to place them into a spare rag. "Right then, sounds like I should be taking her back now so we can leave before anypony is the wiser". Looking to sotho she levitates over the bundle of small items, "Take care of this till I return Sotho?"
[20:45]?	Sotho nods. "Alright."
[20:45]?	Sotho takest he items
[20:45]?	Ignis pokes over at the items... "Are those, keys?"
[20:45]<Ignis>	*peers
[20:47]?	Royal_Lace shrugs, looking over to Firefly as she steps next to Nick-Nack, "You should ask firefly, she has a letter explaining whats inside the bundle". Looking back to Nick Nack she offers a comforting smile, "Are you ready to go? Im going to teleport you back to your room with me"
[20:48]?	Wintergreen looks to Firefly and lightly nudges her. "Firefly, could you show us the letter?"
[20:49]?	Firefly looks over at Royal Lace. "She said I was supposed to wait till she left. Is it ok Miss Pretty Pony?"
[20:50]<SpiritOfFate>	Knick Knack nods. "Uh... okay."
[20:51]?	Royal_Lace smiles, "Dont worry dear, im leaving now so you can show them. You did a great job hiding it under your hat you super sleuth you!". Looking back to Nick Nack Lace steps close to her and closes her eyes, teleporting them both back to the bloated slavers room.
[20:51]<Royal_Lace>	A flash of light and Lace and Nick Nack are gone
[20:53]<Sotho>	"A letter?"
[20:53]?	Firefly giggles as she reaches up into her hat, and pulls a folded letter from the brim. "Here you go! Uh...can one of you read it to me?"
[20:54]?	Wintergreen nods, patting Firefly's mane. "Good job, and I can, if you'd like."
[20:55]?	Firefly nods up at Wintergreen. "Please? Maybe its an awesome story!" The filly settles on to Wintergreen's back, curling up for her bed-time story.
[20:56]?	Sotho moves towards Wintergreen, ready to read the letter too
[20:56]?	Ignis peers over their shoulder to catch a glimpse as well.
[20:57]?	Wintergreen frowns. "I'm sorry Firefly... It's nothing that would interest you. Miss Pretty pony is taking a vacation."
[20:57]?	Ignis blinks, then nods a few times...not sure of what to make out of it. He was left a bit speechless...
[20:57]?	Sotho turns away. "Alright, so to the railroad when we're ready?"
[20:58]<SpiritOfFate>	The garage open across the road. The old unicorn steps out, followed by 4 griffin, towards the main house.
[20:58]?	Firefly looks up at Wintergreen. "Oh...can we go visit her? Maybe we could have a totally awesome beach party!"
[20:58]?	Wintergreen nods solemnly. "Maybe..."
[21:01]?	Sotho shakes his head. "We should go back." He says
[21:02]?	Ignis places a claw over Sotho's shoulder. "Its her call...even if we did, what do you plan to do, kidnap her?"
[21:02]?	Sotho shakes her head. "She's not staying for the right reasons." He says quietly to Ignis.
[21:03]?	Ignis lowers his tone. "She won't come...even if you go there and speak to her about it, she won't yield."
[21:03]?	Wintergreen shakes her head. "Firefly is /not/ going back there."
[21:03]<Sotho>	"Then she doesn't need to." He says to Wintergreen."
[21:04]?	Wintergreen frowns. "None of us are."
[21:04]<Ignis>	"We should move out while we can, before the guards catch a drop on us."
[21:04]<Sotho>	"You don't speak for me." He also says to Wintergreen. "I have left too many ponies before whenever I moved from owner to owner. I'm not leaving another one."
[21:05]?	Wintergreen scowls. "Fine, but if you squander your chance at freedom it will be for nothing."
[21:05]?	Ignis furrows his eyebrow at Sotho, lauching a gaze of contempt at the zebra...now he was talking about not leaving ponies behind.
[21:07]?	Sotho shakes his head. "It won't be for nothing. Because even if I fail, I know I would have tried to save somepony who helped me." She says. "She is only doing this so we can get away, but I don't agree with that. If you do, then leave me. You all obviously don't agree with me on many things, so it wount be any fur off your hide."
[21:07]<Sotho>	He*
[21:09]?	Firefly looks at the others. "Why are you fighting? If you are worried that somepony is in trouble, shouldn't we go and help them?"
[21:09]?	Wintergreen sighs. "You don't even know if she is in danger, and what do you expect to do? She will find a way to escape on her own. You need to trust her."
[21:10]<Sotho>	"Not being free is always being in danger. How would you feel if Firefly was the one who decided to stay?"
[21:11]?	Ignis shakes his head. "You just expect to burst back in? When the griffons already ran into there?"
[21:11]?	Wintergreen frowns. "Firefly. is a filly, and wouldn't. She also couldn't. I am doing my best to protect her and keep my promise. I made mistakes but I did the best I could. I don't regret what I did."
[21:12]<Sotho>	"Good, then leave me and don't regret it. If you all don't come back in, I'm doing it myself. I made a promise to her that I need to keep too."
[21:15]?	Firefly looks over at Sotho. "Is Miss Pretty Pony in trouble?"
[21:18]<Sotho>	"Maybe, I do not know, but from what I do know I beilieve she will be in the future. And I don't want that for her."
[21:20]?	Firefly cocks her head as she tries to untangle Sotho's sentence. Her eyes cross, but after a moment they uncross as she sorts it. She hops off of Wintergreen's back and lands next to the Zebra. "Ok. We'll rescue her, like Mare-do-well!"
[21:21]?	Sotho shakes his head. "No, not you." He says to Firefly. "If they don't want to come, then you shouldn't have to." He says. " Wintergreen is in charge of protecting you, and I don't want you to come along because you would be in danger."
[21:21]<Ignis>	"She doesn't want to be "rescued"...its not that simple, kid."
[21:22]?	Wintergreen nods.
[21:24]?	Firefly looks up at the zebra. "But...isn't it wrong if I make it so we can't save someone? Isn't Miss Pretty Pony a friend?"
[21:25]?	Wintergreen sighs. "She doesn't want to be saved right now, and us going would just complicate things. We need to /trust/ her."
[21:26]<Sotho>	"What happens when the mare just gets bored with her?" He asks the two. "Should we trust that she wont be hurt or anything?"
[21:27]<Wintergreen>	"And you expect you will be able to help her at that moment? That you will always be able to be with her if you go back? No. You won't. You will just make others save you, or make it more difficult for her."
[21:28]<Ignis>	"You know pretty damn much that is a chance that happens to every single slave there, not only Royal, but pretty much every being chained there...you could either kill yourself over pride trying to save her, or we could regroup with the other escapees to do something worthwhile about it."
[21:29]<Sotho>	"And what makes you think other escapees will help us?"
[21:31]?	Wintergreen groans. "Maybe because they were trying to break ponies out earlier."
[21:31]<Ignis>	"What makes you think they won't?"
[21:31]?	Wintergreen nods. "Helping them with their plans would be a better option. To save Royal /and/ others."
[21:37]?	Sotho stomps on the ground. "FINE" He says through gritted teeth. "I don't like this at all, but as soon as I get another chance, I'm going back to save her. Understood?"
[21:38]?	Wintergreen nods. "Just be patient. I am sure we will get the chance if we find the escapees."  She frowns. "I am sorry, Sotho."
[21:39]?	Ignis nods as well. "Three moons..." He says.
[21:39]?	Sotho just trots past them, off towards the railroad.
[21:41]?	Wintergreen sighs. "We should probably rest for the night!"
[21:41]?	Ignis nods, starting to trot as well. "Yes, that would be good...if we can find shelter..."
[21:42]<Sotho>	"We have to get away from the place before we rest."
[21:42]?	Firefly looks at the others, still confused but happy they were getting along. She flitters up to the back of Wintergreen, landing as gently as possible before she settles in to sleep on the bestest filly bed ever.
[21:43]?	Wintergreen follows after once Firefly hops on.
[21:44]?	Ignis trots besides Wintergreen, letting the zebra lead on...the dragon looks by the mare. "Wintergreen, are you holding alright there?" He asks in a low tone.
[21:45]?	Sotho trots ahead, looking the dark to follow the railroad
[21:45]?	Wintergreen nods halfheartedly. "I am... fine. Thank you..."
[21:46]?	Firefly falls asleep to the conversation of Ignis and Wintergreen. She snores, softly.
[21:47]?	Ignis looks at her, unconvinced. "Just...what you did, it was bound to happen...I...was going to do it anyways..."
[21:48]?	Wintergreen frowns. "I just split the everyone up, and Sotho must hate me... maybe he's right... maybe there was another way."
[21:49]<SpiritOfFate>	The walk to the railroad is peaceful, only the sounds of the night cutting the silence. You finally reach it. A dirt road following it leads to an old station a little ways east. The forest is still west, pierced only by the railroad, and the plains surround the station. The railroad seems to lead to the settlement, eastwards. The road further south goes to the beach
[21:50]?	Ignis shakes his head. "You did what was right...for Firefly, you knew what needed to be done." The dragon sighs a bit. "Even if you were not pictured in a good light...you did what you must, Wintergreen..."
[21:51]?	Sotho notices the station. "We should search the station then head east to find shelter. I doubt the Station will provide much safety."
[21:52]?	Wintergreen nods. "Let's see then."
[21:52]?	Firefly gently snores on Wintergreen's back. Occasionally her wings twitch or she mutters something in her sleep. Dreaming filly!
[21:53]?	Ignis nods. "And...I do not hate you...keep that in mind." He whispers before turning his head towards the station.
[21:54]?	Wintergreen follows behind Sotho.
[21:55]<Wintergreen>	*Ignis
[22:01]<SpiritOfFate>	The station is a small building with an open roofed area and a small room with a booth, closed.
[22:02]?	Sotho torts to and looks inside the booth
[22:03]?	Ignis keeps his eyes open for movement, looking for any hostiles around.
[22:04]?	Wintergreen stays back, keeping watch.
[22:06]<SpiritOfFate>	It's too dark to see inside the booth.
[22:06]?	Ignis searches around for a piece of wood...
[22:07]<SpiritOfFate>	The boxes happen to be made of wood. Other than them, none inside the station.
[22:08]?	Ignis tries to crack the boxes into a 4x2 or a long enough piece of wood.
[22:08]?	Sotho takes the lighter out of his pack and trys to turn on the flame.
[22:09]?	Ignis stops that when he sees that Sotho got a lighter, remembering about it...anyways, boxes...he cracks them to see what's inside.
[22:13]?	Wintergreen stands still, smiling lightly, looking back a Firefly.
[22:15]<SpiritOfFate>	Sotho sees a desk, and a few more boxes inside the station.
[22:15]?	Firefly is smiling in her sleep. Her wings, and occasionally a leg is twitches. A murmured phrase of "I'm Batmare" can be heard every once in a while.
[22:16]<SpiritOfFate>	Ignis manages to split the box into a collection of 8 large, perfectly usable boards
[22:17]?	Sotho tries to get into the booth
[22:18]<SpiritOfFate>	The box is empty.
[22:19]<SpiritOfFate>	Sotho is far too big to get in, but maybe a smaller pony could.
[22:20]?	Sotho looks to the sleeping Firefly and then to Wintergreen, trotting over and talking quietly. "There is a booth with a desk in it. I am too big to fit, but Firefly could. Should I wake her?"
[22:20]*	Notify: nomad is offline (Canternet).
[22:20]?	Ignis takes a board and gouts a bit of fire over it, making a makeshift torch...he moves over to check the bag and basket within reach.
[22:21]?	Wintergreen nods and turns her head, talking with her muzzle close to Firefly's ear. "Firefly, we need your help finding treasure..."
[22:23]?	Firefly jumps to the air, hoof raised as she says "Daring Do always finds the treasure!" It takes her a moment to realize where she is before she looks down at the others. "Uh...where am I supposed to go? Its dark in here."
[22:24]?	Sotho nods and points to the booth. "Can you go in there? I have a lighter fory ou to use for light." He smiles
[22:24]<Wintergreen>	"Be careful with that lighter Firefly..."
[22:25]?	Firefly nods eagerly, taking the lighter and looking at the flame. "Pretty!" She slowly flies over to the booth and, careful to not turn out the light, tries to go inside.
[22:28]?	Sotho looks to Wintergreen while Firefly is searching. "I do not hate you." He says to her. "I just feel... like there should have been another way to handle that situation." He says. "Trust me when I say I know how it feels to want to protect someone like you with Firefly. Maybe I am wrong, maybe you did it the only way it could have been done. I'm just... beside myself right now."
[22:29]<SpiritOfFate>	Firefly manages to fit through the booth opening with her diminute size. She finds herself in a room with a desk with a clipboard, a drawer and 4 boxes
[22:29]?	Ignis rifles through the bag and basket's contents...wondering if they were empty.
[22:29]?	Firefly searches the room for treasure! She starts looking through the desk first, trying to find all the secret compartments.
[22:30]?	Wintergreen sighs. "It was the only thing I could think of... I'm sorry, I just... needed to get Firefly out." She smiles lightly. "Watching her now, she is still so innocent, but I don't think she would have stayed that way If I had not done what I did."
[22:31]?	Sotho shakes his head. "I do not think she would have either... but she has to grow up sooner or later... this naivity might get her hurt." He says. "I do not want anypony in our friends hurt."
[22:38]<SpiritOfFate>	There is a straight razor and 2 snack cakes in the desk drawer, as well as a clipboard, ink and quill, and a half burnt map
[22:43]?	Firefly sets the things she finds on the desk as she goes and checks the boxes in the room.
[22:44]?	Ignis takes the bags and dumps all his stuff into one of them, gladly so.
[22:45]?	Ignis moves over to check Firefly's progress along with Wintergreen and Sotho...
[22:49]<SpiritOfFate>	There are 4 carrots in one, the second one with 4 more... weird purple bloated fruit in the other. The last one has a bndle of components
[22:51]?	Firefly scratches her head, but takes the stuff from the desk and puts it in one of the boxes with carrots. She pushes the box through the hole to the ponies on the other side, and then pushes all the boxes through to them before she comes out.
[22:51]<Firefly>	Carrots count as how many units of food?
[22:51]<Firefly>	And a survival check on purple fruit?
[22:55]<SpiritOfFate>	The purple fruit is... edible, but eating too much of it makes a pony feel all bleh.
[22:59]?	Sotho smiles as he sees the food. "Good job!"
[22:59]?	Firefly smiles up at Sotho. "Thanks! I put everything in the desk in the first box, and don't eat too much of the purple fruit or you'll get sick."
[23:00]?	Wintergreen smles. "Good job  Firefly."
[23:00]?	Sotho nods. "I know. I can recognize it." He smiles. "Are we done here?"
[23:00]?	Ignis grins in delight, placing the empty bags nearby. "Yeah, just...buckle up and we go."
[23:02]?	Firefly nods. "Uh huh. That's all the stuff in the room. Oooh! Saddle bags!" Firefly walks over and starts fiddling with the bags, getting them to be the appropriate size for her.
[23:03]<SpiritOfFate>	The tall grass south of the station seem to move and shuffle..
[23:05]?	Firefly tightens buckles and straps till she has the saddle bags on in the appropriate position before she looks toward the southern grass. "What's making that grass move?"
[23:06]?	Wintergreen looks to the grass, trying to tell what the source is.
[23:06]?	Ignis hears that and immediately points his weapon to the grass, keeping his ground. "Just remain still..." He says, aiming at the shuffling grass. "No telling what it can be until is hops off..."
[23:07]<SpiritOfFate>	Wintergreen discerns the shape of 3 radhogs going through the grass.
[23:07]?	Sotho looks towards it too, getting ready for battle.
[23:07]?	Wintergreen whispers, "Radhogs, three."
[23:08]?	Ignis cringes his teeth, his eyes squinting lightly there. "Radhogs...I won't be caught unprepared now..."
[23:11]?	Firefly looks at the others. "What's a radhog?"
[23:16]?	Ignis takes aim at the radhogs and fires a couple of aimed shots, one at each creature, then a single attack at one of the mutants he managed to harm.
[23:18]<SpiritOfFate>	The first of the radhogs fall with the shots, startling the two others around it.
[23:25]?	Sotho moves towards the radhogs, attempting to attack them
[23:26]<SpiritOfFate>	The radhog hops back, managing to avoid Sotho's hooves.
[23:36]?	Firefly doesn't get a response, but clearly these 'radhogs' must be dangerous, or why would Mr. Sotho and Mr. Ignis be attacking them? She flies bounces kicks between the last two remaining radhogs like a martial artist bouncing between two walls.
[23:37]<SpiritOfFate>	Both of them fall with a wet crunch.
[23:37]?	Wintergreen blinks. "Good job Firefly!"
[23:38]<SpiritOfFate>	No more radhogs can be seen.
[23:39]?	Firefly waves over at Wintergreen. "Batmare always protects everyone!"
[23:39]?	Ignis whistles as he releases his rifle, emptying the half-filled clip and feeding into it stunbullets. "Nice work..." The dragon smiles as he walks by the radhogs. "These should be a nice meal."
[23:40]<Ignis>	"The tusks and hide are quite useful as well, if one knows how to harvest them..."
[23:43]?	Firefly looks over at the dragon. "Oooh. That would be nifty. I found an odd knife-thing. Would that help?"
[23:44]?	Wintergreen moves over to the others.
[23:44]?	Ignis nods. "Yea it would..." He looks at Sotho...well, not that all zebras were crafty with survival skills, and not wanting to be drawn by that stereotypes, but...
[23:45]<Sotho>	"I know how." He says. "It's been a while though, so I might be rusty."
[23:46]?	Firefly flies over to the box and pulls out the knife...and the map. Maybe somepony smarter than her could make use of it? She flies back and gives the knife to Mr. Sotho and the map to Wintergreen. "I also found this Miss Green. Your a smart pony, can you figure it out?"
[23:48]?	Wintergreen examines the map. "Thank you Firefly."
[23:49]?	Sotho takes the knife, moving to the radhogs
[23:52]<Wintergreen>	"Can somepony give me some light for this map?"
[23:52]<Sotho>	"Can I get some light please?"
[23:52]?	Sotho gets up and throws his lighter to Wintergreen. "Here. I can't hold it while I'm skinning.
[23:53]?	Wintergreen places the map to the ground and starts to lighter, looking down to the map.
[23:53]?	Ignis takes a new plank and makes another torch, holding it steady over Sotho.
[23:55]?	Sotho starts to try to skin the first radhog
[23:55]?	Firefly watches the process curiously. Maybe she can help next time!
[23:57]<SpiritOfFate>	The map isnt very detailed and burns destroyed part of it, but it shows the railroad both ways. Other than faded old location names, a few places are circled and scribbled. Close to an old "you are here" star, a little north from the line is "Doodad's". West, past the forest and the river is 'Rocksteady's' and East, far past an area seeming to be an urban sprawl is 'Overgrowth's.'. A second line goes south-north along the urban area, but the
[23:57]<SpiritOfFate>	 northern part is burnt
[23:58]?	Wintergreen smiles. "Well, we have at least some idea of the local area."
[00:00]<SpiritOfFate>	There are a few smaller markings. The closest one eastwards seem to mark a settlement, but the area before it seems to be listed as dangerous.
[00:01]<Wintergreen>	"Possibly a settlement.... though it may be hard to get to."
[00:01]?	Sotho finishes up his skinning happily. "Alright, I've got food for us whenever we can find shelter."
[00:03]?	Firefly takes note of what the Zebra did, and looks over at Wintergreen. "Oooh! Maybe we could go there?"
[00:04]<Wintergreen>	"Maybe."
[00:05]?	Ignis takes up the planks, putting them into the bag. "These will do fine for a bonfire later."
[00:05]<SpiritOfFate>	The closest place to take shelter as is the ruins of a house with a room still standing. The forest still stays on the other side of the road. The settlement seems to be a bit far, if the marking of Doodad's can be used as a reference of distance.
[00:08]<Sotho>	"We should sleep in that house." He points to it, maybe assign guard duty?"
[00:09]<Ignis>	"Should work...perhaps we can get a vantage point over the road."
[00:10]?	Wintergreen nods. "I can take first watch, if you would like, though I do not have any weapons..."
[00:11]?	Ignis blinks. "Oh..." He ruffles in his bag and takes that magical energy pistol. "Though, I still don't have any ammo, Wintergreen..." The dragon looks sadly, but gives the gun to her anyways.
[00:11]?	Firefly starts to hum 'Got to Share, Got to Care' but her humming is interrupted by a yawn.
[00:14]?	Wintergreen smiles. "Thank you Ignis." She looks the gun over. "This is perfect."
[00:15]?	Sotho shakes his head. "How about I take first watch?" He asks. " I'm going to be cooking some meat up anyways so I might as well."
[00:15]<Wintergreen>	"Sure"
[00:16]?	Ignis shrugs. "Fine by me..."
[00:18]?	Sotho starts to trot towards the house
[00:19]?	Firefly nods, wiping her hooves off in the grass. She packs away the food in the boxes into her bags and grabs the components before flying after the others.
[00:19]?	Ignis follows after, looking at the ruins...well, sure it was a day.
[00:21]?	Wintergreen follows the rest.
[00:21]<SpiritOfFate>	The room that still stands is wrecked, weeds grow in a few corners, but a couple mouldy couches managed to stay mostly usable.
[00:22]?	Sotho moves to set his stuff down inside, starting the proccess to build a fire.
[00:23]?	Ignis tosses the plank by Sotho, so he can build his fire.
[00:23]<Ignis>	*planks
[00:24]?	Sotho smiles and countinues to make the fire. "Can you light it?" He asks ignis."
[00:24]?	Wintergreen sits down next to the would-be fire, smiling to the others.
[00:25]?	Ignis nods, leaning a bit and setting the planks against one another smothly, after he done that, the dragon carefully breathes his azure fire over the result, letting it catch fire.
[00:26]?	Firefly settles down next to Wintergreen, drifting off to sleep once more. Foal Sitter is best pillow.
[00:26]?	Sotho nods and smiles, starting to cook a radhog meat. "I'll take first watch. who wants second?
[00:27]?	Ignis looks at Wintergreen. "I really don't mind, whenever its fine for me."
[00:27]<Wintergreen>	"I can take the third I suppose..." She pets Firefly, cutest filly.
[00:28]?	Ignis nods and gazes at the fire.
[00:28]?	Sotho nods. "Get some sleep then. I'll make sure we're safe.
[00:31]?	Wintergreen drifts off holding Firefly close and safe.
[00:32]?	Ignis falls asleep after a while, leaning his back by the wall.
[00:38]<SpiritOfFate>	===============================================