FoE RPG G0 - #032 Nnoto's Village: Preparations

[21:20]<SpiritOfFate>	Group 0: *Epitaph* - Session #32 starts now
[21:20]<SpiritOfFate>	===================================
[21:22]<SpiritOfFate>	Morning rises, you hear the knocking of a hoof on the doorframe of your hut.
[21:25]?	Hawkeye starts awake and leaps to her feet, snapping her shotgun up as well. She flattens against the wall, her heart pounding in her ears. Then she relaxes. "Come in...?" she says cautiously.
[21:26]?	Royal_Lace shifts, ears twitching as she tries to hold onto sleep for a bit longer.
[21:28]?	Wintergreen yawns, curled up with bestest filly and bestest dragon. She nudges them both as she hears the knock.
[21:31]?	Ignis is a snoozey-woozey dragon today, he just grunts and clings further to the soft earth pony mare he held into.
[21:31]?	Firefly is sleeping with bestest foal sitter and M'Tat. She raises her head up, blinking sleepily. "...and the sheep go to the dairy."
[21:35]?	Wintergreen smiles as she opens her eyes, seeing the trio of cuddlers, Ignis, Firefly, and M'Tat, all in close proximity. She nudges all of them again. "Time to wake... someone is here."
[21:35]?	Hawkeye nudges the door open and looks outside.
[21:36]?	Sotho yawns as he wakes up, getting up and looking at
[21:36]<Sotho>	Wintergreen, laughing softly
[21:36]<SpiritOfFate>	M'tat is snuggled with Firefly, sleeping
[21:36]?	Royal_Lace snoozes softly, slowly coming awake
[21:37]<SpiritOfFate>	One of the councilzebras is outside. It bows to Hawkeye. "The time is nearing."
[21:37]?	Firefly blinks the sleep from her eyes before nudging M'tat. "M'tat, someone came to visit. Its time to get up... oooh, I wonder what's for breakfast? I hope its bacon."
[21:38]<Hawkeye>	"Ah bet," Hawkeye says with a half scowl. "C'mon in. We need to know what we're up to before we go dashin' off."
[21:38]?	Sotho stretches a bit as he looks to the council zebras. "Hello, is the time upon us?"
[21:41]<SpiritOfFate>	M'tat stretches and hops to her hooves. "Breakfast?"
[21:41]?	Hawkeye chuckles. "Ah think he meant time to take care of y'all's spirit problem. But a good breakfast first won't hurt none."
[21:41]?	Firefly looks hopes to her feet, stretching her wings. No more popping! She looks up at Wintergreen. "Breakfast?"
[21:42]<SpiritOfFate>	The councilzebra bows to Sotho. "Almost. When the sun is at it's highest, the conditions will be most favorable"
[21:42]<Sotho>	He nods. "We will be ready by then."
[21:42]?	Wintergreen 's stomach rumbles. She looks to the council-zebra. "Breakfast?"
[21:43]?	Ignis stirs and just looks at everypony sheepishly, his ears perk up at the mention of food, though.
[21:44]?	Firefly follows Wintergreen's gaze to the council-zebra. The question has already been asked...
[21:44]<SpiritOfFate>	The council zebra nods and turns away, gesturing for them to follow
[21:44]?	Sotho follows the council Zebra
[21:44]?	Royal_Lace gives into the day and stretches before follwoing the zebra out of the hut
[21:45]?	Firefly grabs her saddle bags and follows the zebra. Can't forget to brush your teeth, after all. She looks over at M'tat. "So, what training do you have to do?"
[21:45]?	Hawkeye nods. "All right, y'all. Let's get food, then do our best to help these folks." She waits for the others to leave the hut.
[21:47]<SpiritOfFate>	He leads you to an open area with a a large table with many plates of smoked radhog, fish and mutfruit salad. There are also jars of juice and wine.
[21:49]?	Royal_Lace stiffils a yawn with a hoof as she shifts her bags over her back, "Food sounds very nice right about now, We were so busy last night I didnt have anything to eat"
[21:49]<SpiritOfFate>	"We spar and do the burning call, but... I don't accept it much." M'tat says
[21:50]?	Wintergreen follows with a quick brushing of her mane.
[21:51]?	Firefly cocks her head at M'tat. "Burning call? What's that?"
[21:51]?	Ignis shrugs nonchalantly and tags alongside, his tail ascending and descending gently.
[21:51]?	Wintergreen licks her lips. "Thank you..." She frowns. "I'm Wintergreen," she introduces herself cheerily and holds out a hoof to the council-zebra. "And you?"
[21:51]?	Sotho smiles a bit and sits at the tables, waiting for his friends to sit.
[21:51]?	Hawkeye sits down at the far end of the table, eyeing the jars of wine.
[21:52]<SpiritOfFate>	M'TAT LETS OUT A SCREAM OF RAGE.
[21:52]?	Sotho jumps a bit
[21:53]?	Hawkeye jumps backward off the bench and dives into the nearest structure, slamming a clip of armor-piercing rounds into her sniper rifle.
[21:54]?	Firefly flies backward in surprise from the filly and hides under the table full of food.
[21:54]<SpiritOfFate>	Firefly can see the charcoal bearers around looking at M'tat with a small bow of acknowledgement and then turning back to their business.
[21:55]?	Wintergreen eyes the filly with concern, approaching her side. She rests a hoof on her withers. "M'Tat, are you alright?"
[21:56]?	Ignis calmly regards the mundicity of the scene shaking his head, and takes a seat over at the table, reflecting on the rather peculiar zebra habits.
[21:56]<Hawkeye>	The barrel and scope of the sniper rifle poke through the thatching of the hut and peer around comically at the scenario.
[21:57]<SpiritOfFate>	"I am. That is Burning Call. It makes strenght of fire and fight mates." M'tat blinks, surprised by their reaction.
[22:00]<Firefly>	After seeing no sign of anyone attacking, Firefly makes her way out from under the table, shaking herself off and calmly walking back to the filly. Yeah, yeah, she meant to go hide under the table. Yup, totally intended. "Oh. Ok. Do you wanna spar after breakfast? I won't fly, promise." Firefly solemnly crosses her heart with a hoof, and then puts the hoof over her eye.
[22:01]?	Wintergreen lowers her hoof. "Al...right." She shrugs, walking over to take a seat by Ignis.
[22:02]?	Sotho chuckles at Firefly and M'tat softly
[22:02]?	Hawkeye sheepishly sneaks back over to the table and sits down next to Buck. She stuffs a fruit in his mouth and glares. "Say one word. Ah dare ya."
[22:02]<SpiritOfFate>	"Sure." M'tat nods with a smile.
[22:03]?	Ignis scratches his chin. "It seems a bit odd to me, shouts spawning fire itself...must be a zebra sort of magic if that thing really happens..." He comments distractedly to Wintergreen, looking over at the food.
[22:03]?	Royal_Lace takes her seet at a table after her heart returned to a normal speed.
[22:03]<SpiritOfFate>	Buck shrugs and chews the fruit.
[22:04]?	Hawkeye wraps a slice of bacon around a savagely irradiated mockery of a peach, and chews on it in embarrassed silence.
[22:04]<SpiritOfFate>	Knick Knack is gnawing at a piece of bacon. Now that you think about it, she wasn't at the hut when you woke up.
[22:05]?	Sotho eats the food quietly, looking around a bit and sighing softly, calming himself and going into a semi medatative state, much like he would have when he would have been fighting for his tribe.
[22:06]?	Wintergreen chuckles, rolling her eyes. "Not like I can -exactly- understand how, being an earth pony."
[22:06]?	Wintergreen nibbles at some fruit.
[22:07]?	Hawkeye finishes the first bit of breakfast, then slides down the bench to sit next to Knick Knack. "How'd y'all sleep?" she asks with her typical half-smile. "Was we snorin' too loud for ya?"
[22:07]?	Firefly sits down next to M'tat. She looks over the variety of food and digs in. She reaches over to one of the jars of wine and pours herself a glass to drink while she eats. She doesn't appear to be aware of what she grabbed.
[22:07]?	Royal_Lace floats a fork full of salad to her lips, chewing lightly at the food. Looking to Nick Nack she tilts her head. "How was your night Miss knack?"
[22:08]?	Ignis hmmms. "Suppose so." He takes a chunk of meat and slowly chews on the fibrous muscle, his powerful teeth doing much to tear the meat into nothingness.
[22:10]?	Wintergreen mmms in delight. Fruit, so gooood!
[22:11]?	Firefly eats the tasty meat and fruit, only stopping to take a drink of the 'juice'. She stops after her first sip, and makes an odd face. Weird juice!
[22:12]<SpiritOfFate>	Knick Knack stops and swallows a big chunk of bacon. "It was okay..." She looks down. "...is dad really looking for me?"
[22:13]?	Sotho looks to Firefly oddly. "Firefly... what did you pour into your glass?"
[22:13]?	Wintergreen glances over at Firefly... No no no! She quickly trots over, taking the 'juice' away. "Firefly, that's grown-up juice. The other juice is fine... but not this one."
[22:14]?	Royal_Lace sets down her fork, folding her hooves. "Im not sure, but it seems that somepony is. If you ever want to go back all you have to do is ask, it was your choice to leave and it will always be your choice if you decide to return. I would never hold you against your will Nick Nack"
[22:14]<SpiritOfFate>	A picture of a cart passes through Firefly's mind.
[22:14]?	Hawkeye puts a hoof around Knack's shoulders. "Lace is right, sweetheart," she tells Knack. "Ah don't know what to tell you. If it was muh Pa, Ah'd go back in a heartbeat, but given how awful he treated y'all last time..."
[22:16]<SpiritOfFate>	Knick Knack looks between Royal_Lace and Hawkeye with a shy smile. "T-thanks."
[22:17]<SpiritOfFate>	There is a round spot of darker coat just by Firefly's cutie mark
[22:17]?	Firefly shakes her head. "Grown-up juice tastes odd. And it makes you see things." Firefly goes over and reaches for the regular juice.
[22:18]?	Royal_Lace bumps sholders with Knick Knack, smiling as she floats up another bite of salad. "Dont mention it, always glad to help"
[22:20]?	Hawkeye nods. "That's what friends are for, Miz Knack," she says. The sniper sighs and gets up from the table, and walks over to Sotho. "So..." she says quietly, scuffing at the ground. "What exactly is it we're supposed to be doin'? Ah talked mighty big last night, but Ah'm not sure exactly how we're gonna pull this off,"
[22:21]<Sotho>	"I'm... not sure either."
[22:21]<Sotho>	"I've never done this."
[22:22]?	Wintergreen breathes a sigh of relief and trots back beside Ignis, nibbling on fruit.
[22:24]?	Ignis mashes up some of the fruit to use us as "dragonmade sauce" to dunk pieces of meat...he listens over to the others speaking. "I hope that we get to do things and not over-rely on spirits...I mean, isn't that exactly what got the zebras here on trouble on the first place?"
[22:24]?	Hawkeye rolls her eye. "Great... we'll just have to take it as it comes, then," she says, and wanders back over to Firefly and Wintergreen. "We got that spirit all amped up and ready to go?" she asks Firefly, then noticed the blemish on her cutie mark. "Y'all got somethin' on your rump, half-pint." She licks the tip of her hoof and tries to wipe the black mark off with it.
[22:25]<SpiritOfFate>	It doesn't come off. It's a large circle, only slightly darker than her coat
[22:25]?	Firefly continues to eat, this time careful to drink the juice, not the wine. She looks back up at Hawkeye. "Hey, I went swimming yesterday, I'm plenty clean!" Firefly sticks her tongue out at Hawkeye.
[22:26]?	Sotho 's ears perk lightly.
[22:27]?	Royal_Lace leans back in her seat and tilts her head as she squints at the half noticed mark.
[22:27]?	Wintergreen rolls her eyes. "Swimming does not equal clean, and you -are- taking a bath when we return to town."
[22:27]?	Royal_Lace Points a hoof, "I know how you feel about Baths dear... would you possibly allow me to cast a simple spell to clean your coat? It wont take a moment"
[22:27]<Hawkeye>	"Sure y'all are," Hawkeye says, absently looking at the darker circle. "Y'all might want to try soap next time. It's still swimmin' even if y'all use soap. It's all in the size of the tub." She shrugs and gives up. "Welp. Where are we meetin' the zebras for this high noon ceremony thingamajig?"
[22:28]?	Firefly opens her mouth to argue... only to look up at Royal_Lace and grin. "Wait, I can get clean with a spell and never ever have to take a bath again? Yes please!"
[22:29]?	Wintergreen notes, "You're -still- taking a bath when we get back."
[22:29]?	Royal_Lace chuckles as her horn lights up, preparing the spell. "Well I wouldnt say never again, consider this a special cercimstance dear". Lowering her horn she casts her spell
[22:30]<SpiritOfFate>	"At the big hall's back." M'tat says
[22:30]?	Firefly looks plaintively at Wintergreen. "But... the spell is gonna make me clean..." She gives the best filly eyes she can muster as the magic sparkles over her coat.
[22:30]<SpiritOfFate>	The mark didn't disappear
[22:30]?	Royal_Lace blinks in confusion. "Oh my..."
[22:31]?	Wintergreen ignores Firefly's filly eyes and raises an eyebrow at Lace. "What is it?"
[22:31]?	Hawkeye looks askance at Lace. "Was that supposed to do somethin'?" she asks.
[22:31]?	Sotho looks. "No..." He says quietly.
[22:31]?	Ignis peers over at the mark. "If I were one to say, looks like an eclipsed moon wrapped around your mark..."
[22:33]?	Royal_Lace taps a hoof to her chin, her tipical thinking ponisim. "But... there should be no way that my spell wouldnt remove any mark, unless its magical in nature. but what would it be?"
[22:33]?	Firefly looks down at her flank. "Ooooh... its like my cutie mark is dark and stormy... cool!" Firefly looks over at M'tat. "Oooh, is there someone who needs a cart built? Or fixed?"
[22:34]<Hawkeye>	"Ah don't get it," Hawkeye says.
[22:35]<SpiritOfFate>	M'tat blinks. "Not know."
[22:36]?	Firefly shakes her head. "Shoot. And it was a really nifty cart that I saw too."
[22:37]<SpiritOfFate>	-----
[22:46]<SpiritOfFate>	The councilzebra finally guides you to the grassy field behind the metal hall. There is a mound there, with a pony sized nautilus shell, a stone basin and a stone table arranged in a triangle, and an engraved pedestal right in the middle, where an emerald necklace rests. On the other side of  the field, a large crowd of zebras observe.
[22:48]<SpiritOfFate>	The seers can see three large spirits resting in the basin, the table and the nautilus shell.
[22:48]<SpiritOfFate>	And a spot of darkness wobbling in the emerald.
[22:49]?	Hawkeye wanders in after them and gazes at the glows of the spirits. She feels hideously uncomfortable with all of this, as evidenced by her nervous whickers and occasional stopping to rub her forelegs.
[22:50]?	Sotho follows, standing tall and ready for... whatever might happen.
[22:51]?	Wintergreen glances about with hesitation in her steps. It's all rather... odd. All of this, so different from pony culture, and she cannot understand a bit of it.
[22:51]?	Royal_Lace feels very unprepared
[22:52]?	Firefly walks beside M'tat. Her gear is on... she is ready to go and kick spirit butt! Her gear is on and she is ready to go. Though, she would have loved to make that cart.
[22:52]<SpiritOfFate>	M'tat's eye has changed to hazel. In the row of younger silent ones, you can see a few of them no longer have black eyes.
[22:54]?	Firefly looks over at M'tat. "Oooh. Your eyes are different."
[22:54]?	Wintergreen only grows more uncomfortable at the change of eye color.
[22:55]<SpiritOfFate>	"Huh?" M'tat derps her eyes.
[22:56]?	Hawkeye seems a little more at ease. Less strange, creepy black eyes is more comfortable than... all this spirit mess. She sits down a few feet away from the basin and waits for further instruction.
[22:56]?	Ignis is rather but clueless about the purpose yet to acheive from that...it was no longer a "little magical forest trouble" kind of quest as he wished it would...well...that's the wasteland.
[22:58]<SpiritOfFate>	The crowd exchanges looks between each other and the group. The councilzebras look at you expectantly.
[22:58]?	Wintergreen blinks, asking in a hushed tone, "Are we... supposed to sing now?"
[22:59]?	Sotho shrugs. "I'm not sure." He replies.
[22:59]?	Firefly looks over at M'tat. "You ready?"
[23:00]<SpiritOfFate>	The emerald grows in brightness, it's black veins wavering. Some zebras seem confused;
[23:00]?	Hawkeye takes a deep breath. "Ah'm ready, half-pint," she says, walking over to the fillies. "Let's do this and show 'em what they have to laugh about."
[23:01]<SpiritOfFate>	M'tat nods. "Yes!" She takes a deep breath.
[23:02]?	Royal_Lace nods
[23:02]<SpiritOfFate>	You hear a voice behind you."A song in my honor? How lovely."
[23:03]?	Sotho glances behind him
[23:03]?	Royal_Lace twists her head toward the voice
[23:03]?	Hawkeye turns around verrrrry slowly and looks behind her.
[23:03]?	Firefly opens her mouth to start to sing, and then that voice interrupts her. She turns her head and looks.
[23:06]<SpiritOfFate>	The emerald floats and glows, covering the altar with it's shine. From it a tall zebra appears, wearing a lavish ritual outfit and an emerald necklace, whose pearls and shells crack and crumble into dust. "So, begin. I'm sure you will be more successful than the countless in the generations before." She gives you a sly smile.
[23:07]<SpiritOfFate>	Liberty is standing by yourself, staring at the zebra with a frown. "You are a bad mare!"
[23:07]?	Sotho chuckles softly and looks at the zebra. "Indeed." He looks to Liberty. "A very bad mare."
[23:07]<SpiritOfFate>	1d10
[23:08]?	Wintergreen doesn't scowl, she smiles. "Now is the time for happiness. Don't be upset she's here, but happy that she'll soon be gone."
[23:09]?	Hawkeye cowers back from the manifested spirit. "It ain't in your honor, you oppressor," she says as courageously as she can. "It's a song for laughin' in your face, because we ain't as scared of you as you want us to be. A little scared, sure, but not enough to back down."
[23:10]?	Royal_Lace blinks as she sees Liberty Dream for the first time, taking a few moments to realize who she was Lace beams happily. "Thank you so much for everything you have done Dream!"
[23:11]<SpiritOfFate>	She snickers. "Of course. You will show us all. That your way is superior and that a mere foal can be more worth in the eyes of the good spirits than a lifetime of pleading and offerings."
[23:12]<Sotho>	"Don't underestimate us." He says softly. "We may surprise you."
[23:13]<SpiritOfFate>	You can see the eyes of some zebra in the back of the crowd growing in a sinister green and narrowing at you.
[23:13]<Hawkeye>	"Maybe, maybe not," Hawkeye says, looking from Sotho to the spirit. "But the important thing is that we try, and don't give up. Y'all can't win if y'give up before y'try."
[23:15]?	Ignis grins wolfishly at the smugflanked spirit. "We have friends at our side, not puppets...that makes for so much more."