>>41032455
“Wait one second.”
>”Again?”
>You ignore her and cast your Material Analysis spell on the rod

>The core of the rod is made of bone wrapped in keratin which is then gilded with highly purified gold
>The rod has some kind of organic magic focus in it, similar to a unicorn’s horn
>The rod is enchanted with some kind of powerful spell, likely some kind of illusion
>While still in the spell you work quick to slightly modify it, adding your medical diagnostic spell on top
>The organic components belong to a single unicorn, a mare, and is too old to accurately date beyond sometime a few thousand years ago
>When you come to you are sweating from exertion, the combination of two energy draining spells taxing even a powerful mage like you
>Looking at the results of your autoscribe spell confirms your suspicion
>The rod is a single ancient unicorn horn encased in gold and holds some kind of powerful magic that is most similar to an illusion spell
>You pant a little but cast the spell again, focusing on the pendant

>The pendant is made of the same gold as the rod and likely dates to the same time period
>Surprisingly, there’s an image on the reverse side of the sun and moon
>The image is of a dragon encircled by a tatzlwurm
>There seems to be no magic
>When you come to Hollow stands on her hind legs and leans against the chest
>”Are you done yet?”
“Yeah, I am.”
>”Was it worth putting off giving us orders?”
>You bristle at her snippy attitude but try to remain calm
[Input Needed]

>>41033293
Grab the Rod, and when the dogs eventually catch up to us, use the illusion spell embedded in the rod to cast an illusion of abuwtifag or some other high ranking diamond dog

>>41033293
If the items seem safe to handle, might as well grab them so the dogs can't get them.
About Soul's personal shield, is it stronger/easier to maintain if it's on only one pony and can he maintain it beyond line of sight?
I thought we could volunteer to go first, with Soul's shield and the water breathing potion on us.

>>41033293
Also once in the cave, cast an analysis spell on the gas, I don't think we did that yet?
Have a mana potion too if we're feeling low after that.

>>41033309
Could be a per-recorded illusion and we don't know what he looks like. Also, it's similar to an illusion spell, not an illusion spell.

>>41033293
Call Glossary over.

>>41033323
“Hey, Glossary? Can you come over here.”
>The stallion slides his government folders back into his saddlebags and walks over to you
>Settlers glare at him and mumble under their breath but Glossy ignores it
>”What did you need, Ardent?”
[Input Needed]

>>41033322
>>41033312
>>41033309
Noted

>>41033329
Ask him if this staff might be what the dogs are looking for.

>>41033357
>>41033309
>>41033312
“Do you think this staff might be what the Dogs are looking?”
>The stallion looks at the rod and shrugs
>”Maybe. It certainly looks like a religious object of some kind. But I’m not an expert.”
“Alright. Hollow, grab the pendant and rod-“
>Hollow does so immediately
“-and we’ll get everything planned out.”
>You find Soul Mane and talk to him
“Is your Personal Shield spell stronger or easier to maintain if it's on only one pony and can you maintain it beyond line of sight?”
>”It’s a little bit easier if it’s only one pony, yeah. But not by much. I do need to have line of sight to cast it on somepony but not to maintain the spell. Once it’s on them and they remain within three hundred feet it’ll work so long as I maintain concentration.”
>You nod and call your team together, as well as everyone else
>”It seems we don’t really have much of a choice in this matter,” you admit, “so at least some of us are going to have to test the river.”
>”It should be Fleur!” a stallion cries
>There’s a small ripple of agreement
>Fleur looks hurt by the settlers’ behavior and steps towards you
>”I’ll volun-“
“I’ve decided I’m going first.”
>Everyone is suddenly silent, seemingly shocked that you would volunteer for such a thing
>”Ardent, I don’t think-“
>You cut off Hollow
“I’ll have Soul Mane here cast a magic shield on me and I’ll drink a water breathing potion.”
>”How many water potions are there?” a settler asks
“Just one.”
>There’s a murmur through the crowd
>”If we’re all going, shouldn’t a foal get that potion?”
>”Or maybe your wounded friend?”
>”What about the rest of us? Are we supposed to just drown?”
“I don’t believe so,” you answer the settlers, “there should be enough room to breathe while on the way down. It’ll be like a really rough water slide, in a way. I’m going to take the potion because I’m not sure what’s down there and I’m scouting it out for us. I could get stuck underwater and need the potion to survive and escape.”
>”Say that everything goes right and the river leads us out of this place and back to the canyon proper. How are you going to tell us? Or are we supposed to just jump in to what may be a very watery grave and hope everything’s fine?”
[Input Needed]

>>41033366
Soul, I gave you the Earth Sight spell, right? Do you think you're up to casting it? Or anypony else for that matter? You could use that to track me.
Also, once I'm on the other side, I can try shouting to you, with luck I'll be close enough Hollow's ears can pick me up.

>>41033378
Oh yeah, if somepony can cast Earth Sight, we could come up with some hoof signals to communicate with.

>>41033378
I forgot to count your rope. If there’s anything else you bought that I may have missed in the inventory >>41032314 please let me know.
“Soul, I gave you the Earth Sight spell, right? Do you think you're up to casting it? Or anypony else for that matter?”
>”Yeah, you did but I only had time to glance through it. I could attempt to cast it but it’s unlikely to work. If I had a few days to study it then maybe I could. I’m a lot better at magic related to biology and shields because that’s what I’ve always studied.”
>You look to the Roughshod unicorn and he gives you a similar answer
>You look to Fleur and then the crowd and receive nothing but shrugs and head shakes
“Hollow, do you think you could hear me if I shouted?”
>”Possibly? That river is pretty loud and the echoes in the cave are a bit distracting. But if you are close enough and yell into the tunnel I should be able to at least make out a few words. Again, are you sure you want to do this?”
“I don’t think we have much of a choice.”
>”We could tie a rope around you,” Soul offers, “and you could pull it in a certain sequence to let us know you made it and if we should send more.”
>”Not sure that’d work,” counters Barrel, “the rope could be snagged, or we could get false pulls from something else tugging on it. Not to mention even if we tie every rope together we’d only have a thousand feet or so.”
>The two stallions look at you
>”So, are you still going? And if so, what’s the plan for communicating?”
[Input Needed]

>>41033430
Damn, maybe it would be best to send someone else then, then WE could cast earth sight and communicate that way.
Basically pick the toughest/best swimmer and get them shielded and potioned up.

>>41033430
Spell list please?

>>41033430
Can Soul feel if the shield gets hit?

>>41033430
Would firing off a couple of shots from Barrel's rifle be loud enough for Hollow?

>>41033447
I doubt the powder would survive the dip.

>>41033451
I thought they had cartridges not open powder. If it is open powder and our efforts will get it wet, than Barrel is effectively losing his weapon on this plan regardless.

>>41033442
It’s in the character pastebin https://pastebin.com/PqtD6vYHet me know if I should change the format somehow.

>>41033443

“Soul, could you feel if the shield gets hit?”
>”Absolutely and I wish I wouldn’t. It feels like a sharp pinch in my horn. No way I could miss it.”
“Would firing off a couple of shots from Barrel's rifle be loud enough for you, Hollow?”
>”Yeah, almost definitely. There’s no mistaking that crack.”
[Input Needed]

>>41033451
>>41033456
The maretini-whiney uses cartridges which will survive the water. It’s a ponified martini-henry. It’s one-to-one with the exception of the trigger so if you have any questions about it’s performance feel free to use https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martini–Henry
To clarify, a stallion averages around 3’10 or so but the rifle is keeping its IRL proportions, which is why it requires a pony to lay down or lean against something to use.

>>41033472
So we can hit ourself while the shield is up or we can borrow Barrel's gun to send a signal back?

>>41033490
Yup. Though be warned if you travel more than three hundred feet or hit something hard the shield spell will drop.

So what do we signal though? One tap/shot if it's safe enough for everyone to go through shielded, two if it's too dangerous for the wounded and we have to find another way?

>>41033490
>>41033544
“So we can hit ourself while the shield is up or we can borrow Barrel's gun to send a signal back? What do we send, though? One tap/shot if it's safe enough for everyone to go through shielded, two if it's too dangerous for the wounded and we have to find another way?”
>”We could do both,” Soul suggests
>Barrel looks between his rifle and you, “Ardent, maybe I should be the one to go down first. You’re the team leader; they need you more than me. And I’m willing to leave the water breathing potion for Silver, too. I don’t know if she’ll be able to survive the trip without it if she rides alone.”
[Input Needed]

>>41033581
Once we all get out of here we'll heading back to Gate city immediately flash and silver need a hospital if we continue our journey to New Ponyville there's no way they'll survive the trip especially since we've have limited supplies on the way not only that we shouldn't risk the lives of anypony else as a result it will be a suicide mission we need to do a tactical retreat that's an order Everyone understood I'm not letting anyone else dieing on my watch!

>>41033581
You have a point Barrel, but as a team leader I need to be held accountable for my actions or I'll be ignoring the consequences of my choices and their will be fallout towards my whole team because of my mistakes and I'm the one who got us all into this mess in the first place, so therefore I need to take responsibility and atone for my decisions.

>>41033581
If something we're to happen to me I want you to take over as team leader Barrel you know the terrains of the Badlands so it makes sense you'll the ideal candidate to lead everypony to safety that's another thing a leader must do know when to delegate his or her tasks to someone they trusts and have somepony they know and is ready to be their Second-in-Command in case something goes wrong.

>>41033611
>>41033627
“You have a point Barrel, but as a team leader I need to be held accountable for my actions or I'll be ignoring the consequences of my choices and their will be fallout towards my whole team because of my mistakes and I'm the one who got us all into this mess in the first place, so therefore I need to take responsibility and atone for my decisions.”
>”Don’t be ridiculous, Ardent. There was no right choice in this.”
“Maybe not, but there were probably better ones.”
>You step into the entryway to the cave and turn to everyone
“Once we all get out of here we'll heading back to Gate City immediately. Silver needs a hospital, we lack supplies and the means to transport them, and I’m not taking any more unnecessary risks.”
>Everyone nods along with your orders
>”So, after you go down we all follow?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
>”What are we taking with us?” Barrel asks, “we’ve got a lot of stuff and I don’t think we want to take all of that with us. We could probably take all the food and maybe a dozen other large items with us.”
>Soul steps forward, “also, what are we doing about transporting Silver? Are we just sending her solo after giving her the potion, having somepony hold onto her, or sending her down in a barrel.”
[Input Needed]

>>41033648
Noted

He does have a point about the waterbreathing though, Silver might need it if we end up transporting her this way. I say we leave it.

>>41033695
Also, I think it might be a good idea to send Silver down with a unicorn or two, who could hold her in TK

boop

“We’ll give her the potion and send her down with a unicorn that’ll keep hold of her with their hooves and magic.”
>”I’ll do it,” Soul volunteers
“Alright, good. I’ll let you guards decide what we’re taking with us. While you’re doing that I’m going to analyze the gas in the cave and prepare myself for the trip.”
>You leave the group and enter the cave alone
>You stand just outside the crack in the wall when you cast your material analysis spell
>The gas is a mix of mostly carbon monoxide with a notable amount of ethylene
>There’s also a small amount of some other unknown gas with minor hallucinogenic properties
>You open your eyes and step back, recognizing the dangers of carbon monoxide from your time researching gases in the Royal Guard Air Corps
>You walk to the river and let the violent spray of water wash over your body
>It feels cold but not freezing
>You look around to make sure you are alone then look back at the river
>Though you’ve compared it to a water slide, it is unfortunately far rougher and faster than what you’d encounter at an amusement park
>Your mind goes to a dark place, pondering what it’d be like to be swept into an underground lake with no escape but to drown
>You consider if it’d be better to just kill yourself with your knife should you meet such a fate
>There’s a small, repetitive tapping sound that draws your attention
>You look around before realizing it’s the nervous tapping of your own hooves
>You give a dry, hollow chuckle to yourself
>Despite not being religious or spiritual in any true sense, you say a small prayer in your head
>You wait in the cave for a few minutes before returning to grab your gear

>”Don’t forget, one shot means we follow, no shot or two shots mean we don’t.”
“I won’t.”
>”And make sure to clear the barrel of any debris before firing.”
“I will.”
>”And after you’re done sending us the signal make sure to dry it off.”
“Celestia, Barrel. I’m nervous as is.”
>The two of you stand next to the river, your saddlebags strapped tight to your body with Barrel’s rifle slide between the straps and your body so it doesn’t get lost
>Though your knife remains strapped to your chest, you store your halberd in the barrel that holds all of your collective spare weapons and medical gear
>You turn away from your old friend and face the nearly fifty ponies that stand in the cave with you
>Ideally everypony will be on the other side of the river before the gas causes any serious problems
“Alright, listen up. If something happens to me I’m leaving Barrel in charge. He has the most trail experience and Diamond Dog expertise out of anypony here. Secondly, if something should happen to me I want you to know it’s been a privilege to work with all of you.”
>Not one for sappy speeches you begin to step into the water but are stopped by a hoof on your shoulder

>>41034280
>Turning around you are pulled into a tight hug by Barrel
>”I’ll see you down there, Ardie.”
>Soul wraps his hooves around you as well
>”Don’t give up if you get stuck. We’ll find a way to save you and ourselves somehow.”
>You see Hollow standing just a couple feet away from you
>She’s clearly distraught by the situation
>”Ardent,” she begins, “I-“
>She shifts her wings nervously before joining the group hug
>”Just be careful, whatever happens, okay? You’re the best boss I’ve ever had.”
>You hug them back as best you can
>It feels nice to have friends
>As soon as the hug starts it stops and you step into the stream and are immediately swept off your hooves and thrusted into the darkness
>Within seconds of departure you hear the familiar sound of rushing water and brace for the sharp turn and decline you knew was coming
>Suddenly you are slammed against the rock wall ahead of you then rocketed down a steep slope
>Several times along the way you are pulled underwater, sometimes swallowing big gulps of cold water when you mean to breath
>Keeping your head above water isn’t to hard with effort, but your face is constantly splashed, water entering your eyes and nostrils
>As you speed down the river you become disoriented by ever rapid twist and turn you encounter
>Several times you smash into something hard or scrape against a sharp part of the wall but your armor saves you from anything more that slight bruising
>It feels like you’ve been in the water for minutes but you continue to be thrown about by little twists and turns as you rapidly spiral down into the earth
>With one final twist followed by the steepest drop you’ve experienced yet you splash into a slightly slower, but still fast, portion of the river
>Lighting your horn you find yourself in the small chamber you detected when you had cast Earth Sight on the river, the upcoming split in the river quickly approaching
>You swim to the smooth walls of the open chamber and attempt to grab hold so that you have time to analyze your situation but your hooves fail to find purchase
>You claw desperately again and again but the slick, smooth stone doesn’t let you catch yourself
>You hear the sound of rushing water approaching and turn around to find the split in the river before you
>Kicking off the wall you are able to guide yourself to which tunnel you’d rather go down
>With both tunnels seemingly identical, the decision seems arbitrary, yet it needs to be made
[Input Needed] [Left or Right?]

>>41034281
When in doubt, go left.

>>41034281
Huh this is a hard decision whatever path we take one has to lead a way out of here while the other will either trap us or kill us there's no telling which one is it since both water roads are identical even if we did manage to choose the right path I doubt we'll come out unscathed so there's a 50-50 chance that our exit route might involved Ardent being caught in a whirlpool or a waterfall so to heck with it what do we have to lose I vote Right!

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>41034373
Ok, so since you tied the vote, why don't I just roll for it then? 1 = left 2 = right

>>41034281
Shit, I was hoping we'd get a chance to take a breather and regroup. is either side slower?

>>41034281
Go right.

Bunp

>With no time to think on the situation you paddle towards the right and again pray you made the right decision
>As soon as you pass the rock the current picks up speed yet again and you are whipped around a tight bend before descending down a bumpy decline
>The river alternates between short, steep drops and short lengths of relatively level stretches of water
>As you come down one final bend you are fully submerged underwater befpre entering a free fall
>You fall for what fells like only a second before you land in more water
>You paddle your way to the surface, unable to find a wall to kick off of
>Surfacing and taking a deep breath you realize the current has slowed to a gentle crawl
>You take a quick look at your surroundings
>High above you shines little speckles of light, giving the illusion of stars that twinkle in hues of blues and greens and provide a dim, calming light to the world below
>You win in what appears to be a small lake a couple thousand feet in diameter that is surrounded on three sides by smooth, level stone that extends another few hundred feet before meeting the cave wall
>Behind you is a sheer wall of rock, a waterfall flowing down from above that you recognize as the the way you entered
>Opposite of the waterfall, about half a mile of water fallowed by another couple hundred feet of rock is another tunnel
>Having taken in most of your surroundings you swim your way to the closest shore and pull yourself onto the slippery rock
>Hidden behind a small rocky outcropping that shielded your view from the water is an upside down wooden row boat with fishing tackle laid against it
>You shake off as much water as possible before deciding what to do next
[Input Needed]

>>41035586
Before we give any signals, let's use that boat and go check out the next tunnel. Use Earth Sight before entering it though.

>>41035586
Use Earth sight

>>41035635
>>41035788
>You cast Earth Sight
>You see a fuzzy outline of the lake as water splashes along the shore
>You can see your branch of the river above you, but not the other
>Nor do you see your ponies
>Small lizards and bugs crawl along the walls of the cave near you, eating something off the damp rocks
>The boat remains still and therefore invisible to you, as does anything underneath it
>Opening your eyes you set to flipping the boat over, revealing a wire mesh shellfish trap, two paddles, and an anchor
>The ropes tied to the anchor and trap are damp with the exception of the last few inches that are tied to the boat and buoy respectively
>Given the damp, humid atmosphere it seems the boat must have been used in the last few days
>You drag the boat to the water and step in, sailing yourself towards the tunnel entrance
>Landing on the shore, you pull the boat up with you onto land so it won’t float away and you trot to just outside the tunnel where you cast Earth Sight again
>You detect nothing of note within the five hundred feet you can sense
>You crouch low and listen for any noise ahead, not finding anything after a few minutes
>You calculate how much time you’ve spent down here, estimating it to have been at least close to twenty minutes, maybe a little more
>You debate whether to continue your investigation or call down the others
>The ponies up top must be getting pretty anxious and it will take you another fifteen minutes or so to get back to the waterfall
>But at the same time, you’re not entirely sure if it’s safe for them to come down
[Input Needed]

>>41035830
I think we can go give the signal. There's nothing immediately dangerous in the tunnel and even if the gunfire attracts them, they have to cross the lake to get to us.
Only problem is that crossroads, we can't have our ponies go the wrong way.
Does Earth Sight reach that spot from below the waterfall? We could watch when someone is about to reach it and yell out to go right, hopefully they can hear us.

>>41035830
We've been down here for 20 minutes and we're still alive. Follow Barrel's directions and fire off a round. Than hit out "right" in Morse code on the shield.

>>41035890
>>41035894
>Figuring that there’s no signs of immediate danger and that coming down here was better than remaining stuck up there you decide to give them the signal
>Jumping into the rowboat you row to the rock wall nearest the waterfall and place your front hooves against it so that you can cast Earth Sight
>Unfortunately even here below the waterfall isn’t close enough to see the split in the river
>You push off from the wall and get as close to the waterfall as you can and prepare the rifle to fire
>Right before you pull the trigger you stop and think about the split in the river
>You would try to send a message in Morse code if Soul’s shield were still up, but it must have dropped at some point when you left its range
>You wait a minute and consider other ways of warning the group
[Input Needed]

>>41036014
I wonder if we cast our flare spell as far as possible up where we came, would it be visible from the fork?

>>41036047
>You consider using your flare spell
>The unique physical properties of the spell would allow it to mostly ignore the water while also bouncing off the walls, not to mention that the river tunnels themselves are so dark that even if the flare only went a quarter of the way up its likely that you’d still be able to see the light in the near total darkness

>>41036058
Maybe an alarm spell could work or perhaps if we were to have ourselves a magic surge that would temporarily boost up our power and might give us the edge we need to use the flare spell in a stronger form which will definitely get the others attentions at the split crossroads to know what path they should take.

>>41036108
I’ll allow you to try a magical surge at the risk of causing burnout. Do you want to try that?

>>41036131
I say go for it.
Did we bring a mana potion with us?

>>41036184
Alright, that’s going to require two Intelligence checks. Now, you can use your previous unused INT roll of 16 (13+3) or if you want you can just roll twice.

>>41036250
Can we roll twice and use whichever is highest between the unused roll and the new one for one of them?

>>41036279
Sure. First roll is for if you can successfully force a magic surge and the second is whether or not you have magic burnout. It’s going to be very hard to do the surge and fairly easy to get burnout regardless of whether you successfully force a surge or not.

Rolled 15, 17 = 32 (2d20)

>>41036305
Alright, I say roll the burnout roll with advantage.

bumpa

>>41036319
>You are struck by inspiration
>You grab your last personal mana potion from your bag and lay it down and point your horn up at the waterfall
>Taking a deep breath you funnel as much of your magic as you can into the simple flare spell you are weaving
>You go far beyond what’s required for the spell, pushing yourself beyond even your own safety limits
>The ball of magical light on the tip of your horn swells and becomes blindingly bright as you feed it more and more energy
>There’s a sharp squeeze at the tip of your horn that sends bolts of pain down your body and your brain feels like it’s about to catch fire
>But you persist until finally something in you feels like it’s going to snap and you unleash the flare
>The blinding light leaves purple streaks in your vision as it disappears down the river tunnel and you fall to your haunches
>You lie there for a little while, trying to catch your breath
>You’ve never had a true magical surge before and you haven’t had one yet
>But you feel like you were close, within perhaps a hair of success
>Regardless, the flare was the brightest you’ve ever seen and will probably last far longer than normal
>Standing to your hooves you are happy to find that not only have you not burnt yourself out, but your magical energy has only taken a minor dip
>Picking up the rifle with your telekinesis you raise it as close to the glowing river entrance as possible before firing it in an attempt to maximize its volume for Hollow
>The rifle almost bucks out of your magical grip but you save it from falling into the water below and instead lay it besides you as you wait for the first ponies to arrive

>You wait a minute
>Then two
>Then five
>You begin to worry that they never heard you and you grab the rifle, preparing to try again when there’s a loud noise above you followed by a splash into the lake
>Bobbing up and down is one of your barrels of supplies

>>41036854
>Grabbing the rope from the shellfish trap you tie it around the barrel so that you can drag it behind you and you prepare for the next one
>Again, you have to wait several minutes before it arrives and you tie it behind its twin
>There’s a depressing realization that settles over you that the barrels were sent down unguided and therefore were arbitrarily sent down one branch of the river or the other by the rushing water
>You hope that more will show up, but they never do
>Instead, the next thing to come down are two ponies together
>You scoop up Silver with your magic and carefully set her down before lending Soul a hoof into the boat
>”Some water slide. I felt like the damn thing was gonna kill me.”
>He gives Silver a quick check over
>”Good to see the journey didn’t hurt her too bad. It’s a good thing we gave her that option. Those gills on her neck probably saved her from drowning after I dropped her during that first drop.”
>The stallion shakes the water off himself
>”You know, I was going to go left when I saw the right tunnel glowing. I’m glad to know I made the right decision. Hope everypony else does too.”
>As he finishes talking there’s another splash, this time revealing a thrashing Barrel Cactus
>The poor stallion can barely tread water so you and Soul pick him up together
>”I hate swimming,” is his only response
>Hollow drops down soon after
>As she climbs into the boat you make your way towards shore to drop off your friends so that you can ferry more ponies
>Thankfully it’s a short distance and you’re back in position in time for the next pony while your team unloads the barrels
>The first of the clients to come down is Fleur, who quickly paddles her way over to you
>You help her into the boat and can’t help admire how beautiful she is with her mane wet
>She shivers and looks at you, noticing you staring at her
>”Is everything alright.”
“Yeah, just glad you went down the right path. I hope the others get the idea.”
>Fleur frowns
>”I hope so too but to be honest, I don’t know if I could have changed direction if I tried. I’m not used to making those kinds of snap decisions after being battered around.”
>You frown a little but there isn’t much you can do

>Over the next hour your clients slowly show up before the last remaining members of Roughshod descend themselves
>You ferry each group of eight or so ponies to the shore before returning to pick up more as they drop down
>Many ponies credit your flare for their decision to go right but after a headcount on shore it seems that despite your efforts a few ponies still went the wrong way
>Greenback, Fleur’s assistant, is one such example

>>41036859
>As is the mother and little sister of a filly in your care
>And so is the journalist mare, though her photographer made the right decision just in the nick of time
>All together, of the fifty three ponies in total that you were expecting only twelve didn’t show
>Of the ponies that didn’t show, only two of them were foals
>As ponies that were split from their families cry and wail you kick a hoof in frustration and swear under your breath
>You bristle in frustration when you feel a hoof around your shoulder
>”We did the best we could. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
>Hollow nuzzles your cheek but you can’t get yourself to return the favor
“I know, Hollow. But it still doesn’t feel right.”
>The two of you stand there, looking out over the lake as the glow of your flare slowly dies
>There’s a cough behind you and you turn to see Boulder
>”I’ve got bad news,” he whispers, “we’ve only got two barrels of food out of five and we’re missing the barrel with all of our weapons and some of our medical supplies. Thankfully we did store some of the medicine in each barrel so we aren’t entirely shit out of luck but we’ve only got enough food now to last this many ponies fourteen, maybe fifteen days.”
>That’s not as bad as you were expecting
“Hopefully we don’t need that long. I saw some lizards eating something off the wall, maybe that could supplement our diet.”
>Barrel nods, “and if we really need to, we could catch some fish in this lake. Not a big fan of fish, but it’s not bad.”
>Seeing that your little chat is done, Fleur approaches you
>”So, Ardent, what do we do now?”
[Input Needed]

For the sake of transparency: sending the flare did a lot more than it may seem. If you hadn’t done that or given some other indication on where to go around half of the settlers would have gone left while the only guards that would have joined you on the right would have been Barrel and the remaining pegasus from Roughshod. For everyone that was originally going to go left I rerolled to see if they’d go right. I just want to make it clear you didn’t get railroaded with how the group was split.

>>41036863
The only path forward is through that tunnel. I'll take Soul and Hollow and go scout it out first, everyone else can camp out here in the meantime. Barrel, stay here with Roughshod to handle defense, just in case.

>>41036863
We can't do anything for the ponies who went down the left path they're on their own I'm afraid I'm sorry Fleur but what we can do is casting some illuminations magic to create some light within this area and find out where all this water is coming out of there has to be a current around here somewhere that will lead us towards another tunnel out of here otherwise this whole room would have been flooding up right now.

>>41036936
Actually, ask Soul if he's needed with the wounded. If so we'll just go with Hollow.

>>41036863
At least the ones on the left got the majority of the supplies and that end of the fork has to drain out somewhere or else that chamber would've flooded.

>>41036863
We should probably try to figure out what species this boat belongs to.

>You sigh
“Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about the ponies that went left for now. But they’ve got a bunch of food and a lot of weapons so hopefully they’re fine. Hollow and I will scout out that tunnel since it’s our only path forward. Meanwhile, I want Soul to check on the wounded. Barrel, I want you to handle our defenses.”
>”What can I do?” Fleur asks
“If you and some of the other clients could get some lighting set up that’d be nice. Oh, and if somepony could figure out where this water drains out to. There’s got to be another tunnel or else this cave would be flooded.”
>Your ponies nod and split up while you and Hollow take the boat to the tunnel
>As you row Hollow fiddles with some of the fishing equipment
>”Who do you think this boat belongs to? Dogs?”
“Probably. All of the gear is a little big for ponies, except for the one small fishing rod. Other than that the only race that I know lives underground is Changelings and I don’t think they do much fishing.”
>”What about the southerners?”
>You hadn’t considered that
“Possibly, but I doubt they’d do much fishing either. I know some ponies eat fish; according to Silver most pegasi in Neighagra Falls do, but I doubt most of the southerners would.”
>Soon you land and make your way through the tunnel to where you stopped last time
>As you again cast Earth Sight, Hollow listens for any sounds up ahead but neither of you detect anything
>You slowly continue to creep through the cave together
>The cave walls are unnaturally wide and smooth, with clear signs of someone demolishing stalagmites and -tites
>After traveling a half mile or so the tunnel dramatically widens
>The dim green-blue lights of the first cave a now fully replaced by a similar “stars” of red-yellow that cling to the ceiling of a massive, miles wide chamber
>Where the tunnel ends leaves you and Hollow onto of a short hill overlooking the chamber
>In the center is a small two story house who’s windows glow with the soft light of lanterns
>Surrounding the house are giant mushrooms the size of your leg, spread out over acres of land
>The mushrooms grow out of some kind of black soil
>After watching for a few minutes you spot a tall, very thin Diamond Dog hoe the soil while a smaller Dog follows him
>It takes you a couple minutes of watching before you realize that the Dog isn’t just a smaller breed, but is actually a child
>At the far end of the cave is another tunnel, but unlike yours there is a clearly marked road that leads from the house through the cave
>”I don’t see any weapons,” Hollow whispers, “but they probably don’t need them with their claws.”
>You nod, also failing to spot anything weapon like beyond the hoe
“That other cave must lead to somewhere important.”

>>41038175
>”Why do you say that?”
>You point a hoof at the road
“The cave we’re in has fresh water and food but nobody comes up here enough for a clear path to form but that other cave has a full blown road.”
>Hollow nods at your explanation
>”Well, what should we do?”
[Input Needed]

>>41038175
Now we have to figure out if we traveled into another pack's territory or we just went from the frying pan to the fire.

>>41038176
If these are civilian dogs, they might not be aware of everything going on. We can't sneak everyone past them so we'll just have to try diplomacy. Worst comes to worst we'll take them captive and release them once everypony is through.

>>41038185
>>41038328
“Now we have to figure out if we traveled into another pack's territory or we just went from the frying pan to the fire. If these are civilian Dogs, they might not be aware of everything going on. We can't sneak everyone past them so we'll just have to try diplomacy. Worst comes to worst we'll take them captive and release them once everypony is through.”
>Hollow nods
>”Alright. Should we go get back up or are you and me just gonna walk up to them?”
[Input Needed]

>>41038375
We should head back and prepare for the diplomatic approach.

>>41038375
Barrel knows a lot about dogs and Fleur has more of a silver tongue, maybe we should bring them.

>>41038375
"We should head back and let the others know what we have discovered from this new development".

As the two were rowing back to the tunnel they came from something was plaguing Ardent's mind so he wanted to get it off his chest.
"Hollow I need to know do you Hate Me for shooting that unarmed diamond dog diplomat in the back of his head you were silent when I did the deed and now look at us some of the settlers are killed while others are lost down here and two of them are foals separated from their friends and family and the worst part is I have to lived with that Now! How can you still look at me the same way from what I did I brought a Heavy Burden on all of us and for that I'm so Sorry!

>>41038397
>>41038402
>>41038492
“Let’s swing back and grab Barrel and Fleur. Barrel knows the Dogs better than anypony I’ve met and Fleur has a silver tongue that’ll we’ll need if we want to be diplomatic.”
>With that Hollow and yourself return to the boat and set sail

>As you row you can’t help but think over the last couple days
>You look at Hollow, who sits at the front of the boat and looks out over the lake
“Hey, Hollow, can I ask you something?”
>She hums affirmatively
“Hollow, do you think I did the wrong thing when I shot that Dog?”
>She turns to you in surprise
>”Where’s this coming from?”
“Just some guilt building up I guess. I’m kinda responsible for this.”
>She turns back to looking over the lake
>”No, I don’t think so. You were right; they were going to kill or enslave us anyways.”
“But how can you know that? Maybe if I hadn’t done that maybe they would have held back a little and we wouldn’t have lost-“
>Hollow spins around and cuts you off
>”Shut up!”
>Hollow huffs in anger
>”Just… shut up. There’s no point in worrying about the past. Everypony has regrets and there’s no point in worrying about what could have been. We’ve made our decisions and the only thing we can do now is move forward.”
>The bat lays down and looks back over the lake
>”Let’s just stay focused on getting out of here.”

>As you drag the boat ashore you find the settlers cooking food and setting up tents
>You spot Soul helping fix a large pot of vegetable soup and call him over
“What’s going on here? Did Barrel order everypony to set up camp?”
>The stallion nods
>”Sure did. Most of the settlers are getting pretty tired, even with all the excitement so we decided it’d be best to have everypony rest while they can. According to Glossy’s pocket watch it’s almost ten at night so making camp makes sense.”
>Hollow walks up to the boiling pot and sniffs at the boiling soup
>”Smells good. I haven’t had soup in a long time. Maybe we should have a quick bite before heading out.”
>Soul raises an eyebrow, “you’re going back out? Why’d you return?”
“We’re just coming back to pick up Barrel and Fleur for, uh,” you look around and lower your voice, “diplomatic reasons.”
>”Diplomacy? So you found someone?”
“Yeah, a Dog and a kid. Or pup or whatever. They’ve got what looks like a mushroom farm just down that tunnel.”
>”Think they’ll be hostile?”
“Hope not. Anyways, that’s why we need Barrel and Fleur. Speaking of which, where is the old colt?”
>Soul points to a tall stalagmite formation
>Though you can’t see the stallion, you take Soul’s word for it
>When you reach the stalagmites you still can’t spot the stallion until he reveals himself

>>41038570
>”Welcome back, boss. Find anything?”
>You explain the situation to Barrel who seems quite interested in the situation
“…so that’s why I want you with us for this.”
>”Sounds like a plan. I’d heard D-Dogs did some level of agriculture, they do brew alcohol after all, but it’ll be interesting to see it first hoof.”
>With the stallion in tow, you go and find Fleur

>The white mare sits with her assistant and slowly eats her soup
>The pair sits on the edge of camp, watching the going ons of the ponies within
>Fleur barely touches her food
“Fleur?”
>The white mare jumps a little, “yes?”
>You explain the situation to her, making sure the other clients don’t hear
>They’ll learn eventually, but not right now
>The mare listens intently and nods when you invite her
>”The least I can do is try to right my previous failures. If you think I can help, I’ll help.”
>With that you give your small team the chance to eat before returning to the farm
>The food does you a lot of good, but the small rest makes you realize just how tired you are

>The four of you sit atop the hill overlooking the farm
>The child Dog plays with an animal dog, similar to the pet one you have back in camp, while the adult grinds something in a barrel
>”That’s kinda… weird, isn’t it? A Dog owning a dog?”
>For some reason you can’t help but agree
>There’s just something offsetting about it
>”Most domesticated dogs have better senses of smell than D-Dogs, so it makes sense,” Barrel answers. “It’s not all that different from a griffin owning a bird, or pet cat.”
>You continue to watch the pair for a while before a bell rings from inside the house and the pair walk inside
“Come on, let’s make our way over.”
>”Are we just going to knock?” Hollow asks
>”I think we should,” Fleur suggests, “it’ll make our presence known without scaring them too bad and we’ll be approaching them on our own terms. Might not want to bring the weapons, though, or else they may think we’re threatening them.”
“That’s not a bad point.”
>”Shouldn’t we at least have one of us waiting in the reserve with weapons ready?” Hollow asks
>Everyone looks to you
>”What’s the plan, boss?”
[Input Needed]

>>41038375
Hollow thinks on her thoughts for a moment and then scoot herself on the boat forward towards Ardent and wrap her wings and hooves around him to provide him some comfort as she speaks her honest answer."You did what you had too Ardent Mind that diamond dog had put you in a life or death situation you tried to resolve the issue peacefully and he wouldn't take it so its his own fault for wanting to go to War with us in fact you saw his sinister smile He was even inclined on the idea of wanting to pick a fight with us".

>>41038575
Yeah we definitely should have a least one pony in the reserve weapons ready in case things get hostile we don't know what else is down here. Hollow your stealthly perhaps you can easily conceal a weapon with your skills.

>>41038575
Not a bad idea. Hollow, you hang back out of sight, just in case.
>>41038585
My man I don't think you quite understand how cyoas work.

>>41038595
>>41038606
“Yeah we definitely should have a least one pony in the reserve with weapons ready in case things get hostile. Hollow, you hang back out of sight, just in case.”
>She smiles, “yes, sir!”
>With that she takes off, disappearing into the dim light above

>Fleur knocks on the door with a hoof and steps back
>You and Barrel stand behind her, Barrel’s rifle and your only remaining weapon, your knife, are slung over your backs
>The pet dog barks from inside the house and you hear some shouting before the door opens up
>The child Dog stands on the other side of the door, looking the three of you in the eyes while his mouth hangs open in awe
>Behind him the adult Dog and an unfamiliar adult Dog sit at a table with plates full of mushrooms over some kind of meat
>”Hello,” Fleur begins, “May we talk to your par-“
>The familiar adult Dog jumps from his chair and charges at you, claws at the ready
[Input Needed]

>>41038805
Try to stop him with TK, shout that we're not here to fight.

>>41038805
Stop him with your magic in a telekinesis grip"Hold it right there we just want to talk not to fight and also what kind of an example are you teaching your child attacking someone who just politely knocked on your door"?!

>>41038817
>>41038839
>You grab the Dog in your telekinetic grip
“Whoa, hold it right there we just want to talk not to fight.”
>The Dog struggles but he’s not a warrior so you easily hold him tight
>”Let me go or I’ll kill you!”
>You’re tired and you’re not in the mood for this
“What kind of an example are you teaching your child attacking someone who just politely knocked on your door?”
>”Mushroom! Come here!” the other Dog shouts
>You just now realize the other Dog is a female and look her over
>She’s the first female Dog you’ve ever seen and you look her over
>She’s very similar to a male, but her body and face are slightly slimmer and curvier and she has a slightly longer tuff of hair on the top of her head but is otherwise almost entirely indistinguishable from a male
>The child Dog runs back to what is assumedly his mom
>The Dog in your grip growls, “leave my family alone. We’re just farmers, not pony slavers.“
>His voice is desperate
>”Don’t worry, we’re just here to talk,” Fleur begins. “We just wanted to ask questions.”
>The Dog snarls, “what do you want to know?”
[Input Needed]

>>41038884
We have a large group of ponies stuck in the cave back there. All we want is to get everyone out of here safely, we don't want any trouble with you. Does the tunnel behind your house lead outside?

>>41038884
Not only that your family seems to be the first diamond dogs who says to be farmers we met others of your kind and all they wanted to do was to fight and kill us or enslaves us so why are ya different?

>>41038889
>>41038966
“We have a large group of ponies stuck in the cave back there. All we want is to get everyone out of here safely, we don't want any trouble with you.”
>”If you leave us be there’ll be no issue.”
“Good to hear. Now, does the tunnel behind your house lead outside?”
>”Yes.”
>You smile at the good news before Fleur speaks up
>”I think my friend means to ask if it leads to the surface world.”
>”Then why didn’t he ask? No, that tunnel leads to the city.”
>”The city?” Barrel asks in disbelief. “Since when did you D-Dogs have cities?”
>”We don’t,” is the curt reply, “we have A city; THE city.”
“Alright, second question. Your family is the first group of Diamond Dogs we’ve met who claim to be farmers. Every other member of your species we’ve met only wanted to fight and kill us or enslaves us so why are ya different?”
>”Cause we’re farmers. That’s what our pack decided for us. Now please, mister knight, let my family and I go and I won’t cause any problems.”
[Input Needed]

>>41039345
Is there any way to the surface, other than through the city?
Also, there's an underground river nearby, the one that flows into the lake? A bit before the lake the stream splits. You wouldn't happen to know where the other fork goes?

>>41039345
Don't worry I will like we say we only came here in peace and to ask for directions.

So where's the path that will lead us to the surface world?

Wait your pack decided you to be farmers were you given a choice to be one or were you exile from your pack.

bump

>>41039345
I'm kinda curious about their mushroom alcohol, I wonder if they are willing to humor the idea of trading with us. No slue what we'd give in return though.

>>41039358
>>41039370
>>41040349
“Is there any way to the surface, other than through the city?”
>”You could dig, or go back the way you came.”
“So where’s the path that will lead us to the surface world?”
>”There’s many of you go far enough. If you want the quickest path there’s an old mine on the north end of the city that leads to the surface. Lots of Dogs use it.”
“There's an underground river nearby, the one that flows into the lake? A bit before the lake the stream splits. You wouldn't happen to know where the other fork goes?”
>”I don’t know what split you’re talking about, but there’s a large lake and river the city uses for water, fish, and play. It’s in the south portion of the city.”
“So your pack decided you were to be farmers? Were you given a choice to be one or were you exiled from your pack?”
>”Neither. My pack leaders said I was needed as a farmer, so I became a farmer.”
“So then you were given a choice?”
>”No, my pack needed a farmer and I was the best farmer so I became a farmer. It was a necessity, I had no choice in the matter. Any Dog would have done the same in my position.”
“So it was your pack’s decision, not yours?”
>”No, it was my decision to help the pack. There was no other choice.”
>You ignore his confusing explanation
“So, you grow mushrooms? Do you have any of that mushroom alcohol?”
>The Dog growls, “if that’s what you want, take it. Just leave my family alone.”
>”We’re not here to rob you,” Fleur explains, “but we’ll trade you for it.”
>The Dog looks at Fleur with suspicion, “trade? Why trade? You have the upper paw.”
>”Because we are not thieves, just ponies that need directions. Now, what would you want in exchange for a bottle of your mushroom spirits?”
>The Dog is quiet for a while
>”Thirty rubies for a quart.”
>”Sorry, we don’t have rubies. Is there something else you’d want?”
>The Dog responds, “We’ll take any gems of equal worth.”
>The Dog then looks at your and Fleur’s horns
>”Though I’ll settle for any magic you can give, unicorns.”
[Input Needed]

>>41041037
We don't have any magic items we can trade, but using our magic to help them out for a little bit isn't an unreasonable trade as long as we know a spell that can be useful to them.

>>41041037
"If we were to go through the city, would the dogs there actually let us pass? What is the general attitude towards ponies there?"
>>41041057
Kek why are you guys thinking of booze right now anyway?

>>41041259
Trading is a friendly action. It's less about getting booze and more about leaving a good impression. At least to me.

I need a Charisma (d20+1) roll.

Rolled 13 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>41041418
pls

>>41041057
>>41041259
>>41041458
“We don’t have any magical items, but perhaps we could provide you magical services.”
>”Can you get rid of the dam gophers eating my mushrooms?”
>That would probably take a while, but you realize your Earth Sight is perfectly suited to the situation
“I might not be able to kill them all for you, but I could find their dens.”
>”Then we might have a deal.”
“Alright, good to know. If we were to go through the city, would the Dogs there actually let us pass? What is the general attitude towards ponies there?"
>The Dog looks at you for a moment
>”Yes, they would. Ponies are tolerated in the city.”
Charisma Check: Passed
>You get the feeling he’s lying about something
>You squeeze him a little bit with your magic
“Don’t lie to me, Dog.”
>The Dog winces in pain
>”I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
“Just tell us the truth about the city.”
>”I didn’t lie about ponies being tolerated. But all ponies are slaves; a free pony will be quickly taken captive, then sold.”
>This time, he seems to be telling the truth
[Input Needed]

>>41041517
Crap. That means getting out of here won't be that easy, plus it's very likely our missing settlers ended up there and are now slaves.
I think we need to do some recon of this city and come up with a plan.
First might as well help them with their gopher trouble.

>>41041547
>You drop your grip on the Dog and his family rushes to him
“Thanks for your cooperation. Now, how about we take care of those gophers?”

“You’re right on top of it… now!”
>Through your Earth Sight you watch the farmer Dog punch through the earth and skewer the creature with a claw before dragging it to the surface and finishing it off with a slice across the neck
>The creature is closer to an overgrown mole than a gopher with its entire lack of eyes and overgrown forelimbs
>The Dog tosses the corpse onto a pile of matching corpses that his son pulls on a small wagon
>The Dog wipes the sweat from his brow, “that’s the west field finished. Now, how about we move onto the west field.”
>You pant as you break the spell
“I’m sorry, but it’s been a very long day and I’m getting tired. We’re going to have to call it here.”
>”I said the south field,” the Dog growls, “needs-“
>Barrel clears his throat and shifts the rifle on his back
>”Never mind,” the Dog turns around to return to the house, “I’ll get you the bottles.”
>You follow him to his cellar where he grabs five dark brown bottles, about the size of a half gallon each
>Five bottles for a little under two hours of work was hopefully a good deal
>”Now, if we’re done here, I’d like to prepare the gophers for market.”
>You suppress a yawn
“Yeah, we’re done for now. We might swing by later, if you don’t mind. Thanks for the alcohol.”
>The Dog nods and leads his son into a small shed attached to the house while you ponies make your way back to the tunnel
>Fleur covers her mouth with a hoof as she yawns
>”I could use some sleep.”
>Barrel hums in agreement, “me too. Unless there’s something else you want us to do, Ardie.”
>You do feel pretty tired, but there’s still some work to be done
[Input Needed]

>>41041724
I would like to get a sneaky look at this city, see what we're dealing with. But I suppose that can wait, assuming those dogs don't go tell everyone about us.

>>41041737
“I would like to get a look at this city, see what we’re dealing with. But if everypony’s tired, I suppose that can wait, assuming those Dogs don't go telling everyone about us.”
>You make your way back to your camp, Hollow rejoining you when you reach the tunnel
>As you row your boat Fleur begins to nod off, and though she tries to hide it, Hollow does as well
>Barrel meanwhile whistles an old song to himself
>When you return to camp you get together with your fellow guards and work out a skeleton crew of two ponies on rotation for the night with one pony positioned at the top of the hill overlooking the farm in case the Dogs try anything crafty
>Thankfully, you don’t have to work either shift tonight so that you can recover all of your magic
>As you set up your own tent you notice almost all of the settlers have already fallen asleep and you soon join them in the real of dreams

>You awake an unknown time later, the lack of sun or moon or any noticeable changes in the ambient light making it hard to keep track of time
>The sounds of settlers moving about convinces you that you’ve slept long enough so you slide out of your bedroll
>Once you strap your armor on and grab your knife you go to grab a plate of grits but stop when you notice Soul changing Silver’s bandages and approach
“How is she?”
>”Still asleep, unfortunately, but otherwise she’ll recover. Hopefully she’ll wake up by sometime tomorrow or the day after.”
>You look over your sleeping friend and smile slightly when you see her peacefully face
“I’m glad she’ll be making a full recovery.”
>”I didn’t say that. Don’t get me wrong, she’ll be up and moving for the most part in the next week or so but I’m having my doubts on how fast her wings will heal, and I don’t expect the maimed one will ever recover fully.”
“What do you mean? Like, she’ll be a weaker flier or do you mean she won’t ever be able to fly again?”
>Soul finishes changing the last bandage, “I’m worried it’ll be the second one. I can only sorta get the bones set right but she needs an actual doctor if the wing’s to heal correctly.”
>You look over the bandaged and crippled wing and wince
“Alright, let me know if anything changes.”
>With that you grab your food and call for a group meeting between you guards
>You explain the situation in detail and layout your plan to scout out the city
>The only question is who will be joining you on your scouting trip
[Input Needed]

>>41041824
A smaller squad is probably safer. Bring Hollow and Barrel, and set a time limit so if we're gone too long, the others will know we might need help.

>>41041824
While barrel and hollow recon the city I will head back to the dog's farmer house to continue helping them with their gopher problem after that I'll ask them more questions about the city there has to be more information they can tell us about it.

Up we go

>>41041850
>>41041965
“Hollow, Barrel, you two and I will scout out the city after I check in with the Dog farmer. I might help him with the gophers and ask more questions about the city while you two do recon on your own. As for the rest of you, just continue your watch over the area and help set up some additional defenses. If we’re not back in twelve hours assume we’ve encountered a problem.”
>With that settled you all split off to do your assignments

>As you stroll through the mushroom field the Dog farmer notices you and Barrel, Hollow having already disappeared into the dim light above
>Again, his son follows and occasionally helps pluck out small, shriveled mushrooms that grow next to the larger, pony sized beasts that are the focus of the farm
>Once you’re within comfortable speaking range the Dog addresses you
>”Why have you come back, pony? I thought I made it clear we were no threat to you.”
“I wanted to see if you wanted help clearing out more of the gophers.”
>The Dog stops his examination of one particularly large mushroom and taps his chin in thought
>”I normally take care of the shrooms first but if you’re free for the next six or eight hours, we can hunt gophers. Why, what’s in it for you? Do you need more spirits?”
“Maybe, but I mostly just want to ask you some more questions.”
>The Dog weighs the deal in his mind for a moment before shrugging
>”Sure, why not. We’ve got three more fields to clear out and each will take about two to four hours to clear, I thinks. How many do you want to do today?”
[Input Needed]

>>41042683
"We can do at least one, maybe two depending on how long my friends will be."
Then pull Barrel and Hollow aside to discuss the game plan. They should scout out the city as discreetly as possible, see what we're up against and maybe even try to find out if the other settlers ended up there.

>>41042726
"We can do at least one, maybe two depending on how long my friends will be."
>”I noticed that pretty unicorn was gone. Where are they headed?”
>You don’t really see a point in hiding the truth from the Dog
“They’re going to scout out the town for us.”
>The Dog makes a throaty, grumbling sound before speaking
>”Since you’ve already agreed to help me, I’ll give you a warning. A pony with these,” he tugs at his spiked collar and bracelets, “can move freely but with suspicion. A pony without will be sent to market or worse if they are caught.”
“That’s… not good. You wouldn’t happen to have any spare collars or bracelets, would you?”
>”No, each Dog has their own and no more. You would need a Dog to buy some at the market or find a leatherworker to make a custom one.”
“I see. Thanks for the warning. Now, if you don’t mind I’m going to have a private talk with my friend before he leaves.”
>The Dog nods and returns to his house, assumedly to fetch the cart to collect the corpses
>You walk with Barrel to the edge of the mushroom field and signal Hollow to land
“I want you two to scout out the city as discreetly as possible, see what we're up against and maybe even try to find out if the other settlers ended up there.”
>You look at Hollow and see that she’s still wearing the collar and bracelets she looted from the diplomat you killed
“There’s no identifiers on those, are there?”
>She looks over the bracelets on her legs and presents her collar for you to look at
>You let out a breath of relief when you both fail to find any
“Alright, good. I suggest keeping those on at all times. Apparently the Dogs will be less likely to hurt or enslave you if you wear those.”
>Hollow raises an eyebrow
>”You don’t say? I guess everyone has the preferences when it comes to fashion.”
“I suppose. Anyways, take your time if you need to and be back within the next eight hours. Meanwhile I’m going to be hunting for gophers with the farmer.”

>>41043272
>”Why are you so interested in helping this Dog?” Hollow asks
>Barrel answers for you, “because we’re building a good rapport with him. We help him and show that we’re friendly and he’s less likely to turn us in the first chance he gets.”
>Hollow shrugs her wings, “I guess. I think just getting out of his hair would be better.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get out of here as fast as we can while keeping everypony safe. Now get going.”
>The pair nod and head towards the tunnel that allegedly leads to the city, Hollow again disappearing into the dim light above while Barrel walks

>”Do you eat meat?”
>You barely register the pup’s question as you track a mother gopher and her babies as they return to their nest
“What? I mean, yeah, sometimes some ponies do. Hey, she’s almost there so get ready to pounce.”
>The adult Dog hunches over the burrow, both front claws ready to cull yet another family for the fifth time in two hours
>”Have you ever ate gopher?”
“Nope. We mostly eat pork and chicken. Oh, and fish.”
>The mother gopher hesitates at the entrance of the burrow and sniffs at the air, as if aware that something awaits her at the surface
>”You eat fish! I love fish. Dad and I go fishing whenever we can get away from the farm. Have you ever had-“
>”Damn it, Mushroom. Leave him alone. We’ve got-“
“Now!”
>The father lunges forth with both claws, skewering the mother and one of the babies
>As he pulls them to the surface you grab the remaining babies with your telekinesis and bring them to the surface where the pup quickly disembowels them with a claw
>You pant as the father and son throw the bodies onto the pile and fetch drinks of water from their canteens
>They don’t offer you any so you just drink from your own
>”That’s the south field done. You did good, Mushroom. And you too, pony. I suppose you’ll want to ask me some questions now? How’s this, I’ll answer five questions and then we go to the east field, okay?”
“I think that sounds fair. I need a chance to rest my horn anyways.”
>”Right. Well, pony, ask away.”
[Input Needed]

.

>>41043279
Does any dogs from the city ever come to your home?

Who's the leader in charge of running the city?

What can you tell me about this city did your kind build it or did ya found it?

Before we stumble ourselves down here we found a magic staff and a magic pendant in a chest we found on the surface world I don't suppose you know anything about these two relics do ya?

How can you and your family live in a dark isolated place such as this where there's hardly any sunlight doesn't that make farming down here hard plants needs the sun's ray to help it grow photosynthesis?!

They're growing mushrooms, let's not waste a question on that last one.
Instead, ask how often slaves are sold to dogs outside the city. We need to figure out how screwed the settlers are.

“Do any Dogs from the city ever come to your home?”
>”Sometimes, mostly my pack mates. Most Dogs have no reason to visit me.”
“Who's the leader in charge of running the city?”
>”Now? Abuwtiyuw runs the city. But for thousands of generations before the city ran itself. It is a neutral ground where pack warfare is banned.”
“What can you tell me about this city did your kind build it or did ya find it?”
>”The old Dogs built it and we’ve maintained it ever since.”
>You pull the rod and pendant you took from the mummy Dog and present them to the farmer
“Before we stumbled ourselves down here we found a magic staff and a magic pendant in a chest we found on the surface world I don't suppose you know anything about these two relics do ya?”
>The Dog’s eyes go wide and he takes the rod from you and looks it over before returning it
>”No, I don’t. It looks like something those priest Dogs would carry. I’d be careful with those, great pony. Relics like that are powerful to us Dogs and I doubt the priests will allow you to keep such an object, especially since you probably stole it from our ruins. But I’m a simple Dog, unworthy of telling you what to do, great pony.”
>He speaks to you with reverence, avoiding eye contact all the while and once he’s done with his explanation he whispers something to his son, who presents you with his own canteen of water
>”My dad says I should share my water with you, great pony.”
>You begin to reject the offer but second guess yourself
“Thanks, but I’m good for now. Maybe once we get the other field finished I’ll have some.”
>The pup looks downcast but doesn’t push the subject
“One last question. How often are slaves sold to Dogs outside the city?”
>The Dog gives a sharp laugh but stops himself quick
>”Forgive me, great pony. I should know that our world is unknown to you. But this is the city, the only city. Dogs from all over the world, even the ones beyond the deep waters and oceans come here for trade. This is where almost all slaves end up and are sold to packs across the world. Almost all ponies are sold to Dogs outside the city. Only the priests and city merchants will buy a slave and keep them here.”
>A pit forms in your stomach
>If any of the clients were enslaved, you would probably only have a short time to rescue them
“That’s… upsetting. I’ll need to talk with my friends when they get back.”

>>41044300
>You screw the cap back onto your canteen and start walking to the east field
“Let’s get this other field finished.”
>”Yes, let’s.”

>The next four hours are similar to the first two, and you slowly work your way over the field making sure to wipe out any gophers you can find
>This field is comparatively overwhelmed with gophers when compared to the south field, so you are forced to spend more time and magic on it
>By the time you are done e your magic is effectively exhausted and you feel you could probably only cast one major spell until you’ll experience burnout
>But thankfully your telekinesis and light spell don’t draw enough power to worry about
>As you go to drink from your canteen the pup again offers you a drink from his canteen, just as the father asks you if you have any more questions
>He doesn’t give you a limit, this time
[Input Needed]

>>41044302
"Some of our friends may have ended up in the city, what would be their fate after being discovered? How long until they would be sold off?"

>>41044381
"Some of our friends may have ended up in the city, what would be their fate after being discovered?“
>”Assuming they don’t do something stupid and try to fight back? They would be taken to the market immediately and registered for sale. Unless they are knights, in which case they would be executed.”
“How long until they would be sold off?"
>”Hmm… depends on the type of pony they are, I guess. Unicorns are the best slaves, followed by earth ponies and then donkeys and so on. I don’t know how long they have, but I believe there’s an auction day after tomorrow. They have one once a week; that’s when most slaves get sold. Forgive me, great pony, but I know little about slavery. As I told you, I never owned slaves.”
[Input Needed]

>>41044437
I assume there's a prison of some kind where the slaves would be kept in the meantime? Do you know anything about that?

>>41044471
“I assume there's a prison of some kind where the slaves would be kept in the meantime? Do you know anything about that?”
>”Yeah, sure. There’s different slave pits around the city. Most districts have one and on auction days they’re herded into the big ones next to the market. There’s lots of guards around those, of course. Nobody wants a rival pack to steal their bounty.”
[Input Needed]

I can't think of anything else to ask, at least until we find out what Barrel and Hollow saw.

>>41044520
What this about a rival pack?

>>41044520
Do the dogs treat their pony slaves poorly and harsh? If they do why do they justify this inhumane action Slavery to pony kind?!

>>41044643
>>41044657
“What this about a rival pack?”
>”Packs compete against each other just as much as they do against ponies, except we have rules about how we treat fellow Dogs. Nowadays almost all packs work together to help each other, as per Abuwtiyuw’s orders, but they still compete for their place among the rest of the packs. We can no longer fight each other and we’re ordered not to steal from each other, but stealing still happens.”
“Most packs work together? What about the ones that don’t?”
>”Those Dogs live near the surface. Abuwtiyuw is dealing with them now, either forcing then to join us or wiping them out. His soldiers are better equipped and trained than those who resist, so the work of assimilation is easy.”
“Do the Dogs treat their pony slaves poorly and harshly?”
>”We treat ponies as needed. Most ponies work in the mines or farms as laborers, and since ponies are lazy Dogs can be harsh. Some Dogs can be cruel, of course, and treat their slaves harshly for the fun of it. The ponies that stay in the city have it easier though, usually having some freedom to do as they please so long as they don’t cause problems and make gems for their master. Some slaves own their own stores or even other slaves, but that’s rare. Some Dogs get… overly familiar with ponies, which is a problem.”
“How do they justify treating ponies cruelly?”
>”It’s their property, they don’t need to justify what they do. It’s said that might makes right.”
[Input Needed]

>>41044719
Slaves can own their own slaves? So if a slave pony were to go check out the current stock, that wouldn't be unheard of?

>>41044736
“Slaves can own their own slaves? So if a slave pony were to go check out the current stock, that wouldn't be unheard of?”
>”Certainly not. Many merchants send their slaves to scout out new stock ahead of time. However, only a Dog master can buy a slave. Pony masters need their own master to purchase the slave for them.”
>The Dog hesitates before continuing
>”Be careful, great pony. Guards near the slaves are extra vigilant, especially around ponies. Most slaves that scout the slave pits are familiar to the guards.”
[Input Needed]

>>41044785
So if the guards were to see ponies they've not seen before will the whole city be on high alert against outsiders interloping their ancient city?

bumpa

>>41044785
Do dogs enslave other dogs? Like a punishment for crimes perhaps?

Boop

>>41044895
>>41045945
“So if the guards were to see ponies they've not seen before will the whole city be on high alert against outsiders interloping their ancient city?”
>”Not necessarily. The ponies would just have to have a good explanation of why they’re there and will probably have to show proof that they’re telling the truth, like their master’s seal on a letter or a carry their pack’s symbol. Most new ponies are introduced by their masters in person so that there isn’t any problems, however. Escaped slaves on the other paw would make the guards set off the district alarm system. Again, great pony, I would be careful if I were you.”
“Do dogs enslave other dogs? Like a punishment for crimes perhaps?”
>”Yes, we do. Usually they are taken by members of rival or warring packs, but with Abuwtiyuw as master of most packs there’s a lot less Dog slaves to go around.”
>There’s a sharp whistle from the direction of the city tunnel and you all turn your attention to it
>Both Barrel and Hollow walk towards the three of you, Hollow evidently deciding it was fine for the Dogs to see her
>”Are those all your friends that went scouting?”
“Sure are.”
>You wave to the duo with a hoof and drink more of your water as they approach
>”Pleased to report a successful scouting trip, sir,” Barrel begins, “we didn’t find the mine that leads to the surface, but we learn some interesting things.”
>”First and foremost,” Hollow begins, “is that the city is huge and seems to be divided into different districts by walls that run floor to ceiling, which means a flier can’t go from one district to another without walking through the gates like everyone else. Secondly, most of the houses on the outskirts of the city, the houses closest to here, are empty. Barrel and I found an entire block of abandoned houses, enough to house a hundred ponies easy. That’s where we sat to watch the market when we weren’t exploring.”
>”We also found what we think are slave pits,” Barrel continues, “there’s a bunch of collared ponies sitting in a pit with bars over it. You can see them from down the road but the D-Dogs have guards all around them.”
>”Oh,” Hollow adds, “and we saw a mare walking around on her own the market. The Dog merchants seemed to mostly either ignore her or show her some passing respect when she talked to them.”
>”Was she yellow?” The Dog asks
>”Yeah, do you know her?”
>”Marigold,” the Dog mumbles, “her owner used to be a powerful merchant and he’s given her his favor. She lives a freer life than most slaves. Easier than most Dogs, even.”
>You make sure to make a mental note of that
“Did you two happen to see or hear anything about our missing ponies?”
>”Afraid not,” Hollow answers, “we mostly just watched from the distance so we didn’t hear much. We did hear a guard patrol talk about a lot of new slaves showing up in the last few days though.”
[Input Needed]

>>41046431
Great now we have another problem to deal with guys either we try to launch a risky rescue mission to save those capture pony slaves or we leave them to their fate at the claws of diamond dogs while we escape with our very lives! What are we going to do now? In fact what's even the right choice at this point no matter what we decide somepony is going to get hurt or kill from this crisis we're in. What else can you tell us about these new slaves the guard dog talked about?

>>41046486
“What else can you tell us about these new slaves the guard Dogs talked about?”
>”Nothing much, really. Just that they made it sound like there’s been an influx of pony slaves recently. We would have to do some more scouting if you want to know more.”
>”Should we head back?” Barrel asks. “It’s been almost eight hours since we left, so if there’s something else you want to do we have about four hours to do it. Otherwise maybe we should make a plan on what we’re going to do next.”
[Input Needed]

>>41046726
Let's head back to camp, update the others on the situation and try to come up with a plan.
We definitely need to somehow get a closer look at those slave pits at least.

>>41046431
I would like to ask the dog about why his behavior changed after seeing the staff. Was he afraid of it?

Other questions for him is if he can tell us about how the dogs from across the sea arrive in the city and if there is anybody that normally purchases a large quantity of slaves.

>>41046486
Bad plan, We're outnumbered and outgunned. This is like defeating 50 ponies with only your hooves while they get to have weapons. Best bet is to abandon the enslaved ponies and have the guard deal with em. (On an unrelated note, How many years has it been since twilight sparkle's rule of equestria)

>>41047083
Gotcha and well to be honest with you I have no idea maybe 10 years or so I guess!

>>41047083
I have a longshot idea to save a large number of slaves while escaping and facing less risk, but it relies on external factors we have absolutely no influence over. So tons of luck basically.

>>41047083
Problem is by the time we get the guard involved, those ponies will have been sold and shipped off to who knows where. I don't wanna give up on them that easily.

>>41046850
>>41046898
“We’ll do that in just a second.”
>You turn to the Dog
“Why did your behavior change after seeing the staff? Are you afraid of it?”
>The Dog seems surprised by your question and shifts on his paws nervously
>”As I said, I’m not entirely sure what it is. But I’ve seen the priest Dogs carry relics with the same symbols before. Dogs say that they’re magic and are holy. If you own one, even if you stole it, then you must be a great pony. I’m ashamed to not have realized such when you came to us but understand I’ve never seen a wizard before.”
“Can you tell us about how the Dogs from across the sea arrive in the city?”
>”Depends. Most must brave the journey under the waters, where the ocean is most shallow. But that takes a long time, months even. Some come over by boat, though that is rare and was more common before the Storm King. But the most desperate or foolish Dogs travel far below the surface in the caves dug by the Deep Dogs.”
“Deep Dogs? Are those another tribe of Dog?”
>”Tribe? You mean like buffalo?”
“No, I mean like how I’m a unicorn and Barrel here is an earth pony. I guess I’m asking if they’re like a subspecies of Dog.”
>”No, they’re not. They’re just outsiders, I guess. Deep Dog packs live far, far deeper than other Dogs, where the pressure and heat are unbearable even to the rest of us Dogs. They rarely come up to where other Dogs live, so they’re not really a part of Dog society.”
“But otherwise they’re just normal Dogs?”
>”Sort of. Dogs say that the Deep Dogs are more hardy but more deformed than other Dogs because of their exposure to earth magics, which makes them and their offspring mutate. It happens to their slave ponies, too.”
“Mutate? Like, get superpowers or something?”
>”Superpowers? I don’t know what those are, but if it’s magic then no. Deep Dogs are said to have malformations, especially when it comes to their mouths and fur. I’ve never seen one though, nor have I met any Dog that’s met one, so I can’t be more specific.”
>Barrel and Hollow exchange a subtle look before looking at you
>They’re clearly both suspicious of the Dog’s story
“Back to the topic of slaves, is there anybody that normally purchases a large quantity of slaves?”
>”Yes, the Dogs that run large mines and the Dogs from far away. Far away Dogs need to make their trips worthwhile and the mining Dogs need a lot of hooves. Most mining slaves won’t live long, unless they’re a unicorn or a strong earth pony.”
[Input Needed] [Do you have anymore questions or are you ready to go back to camp?]

>>41047083
>How many years has it been since twilight sparkle's rule of equestria
Never happened. It’s been about ten years since the season three premiere, which is where the timeline splits. The Mane 6, Spike, Shining, and Cadence failed to save the Crystal Empire from Sombra. The timeline diverges considerably from there. If you have more questions about the world feel free to ask but I figure nobody wants an info dump and a lot of what happened behind the scenes are completely unknown to Ardent Mind and will be meta knowledge that could effect your decisions. For the most part every villain except Tirek happen at the same time as they did in the show but had to be defeated by either Celestia, Luna, or the Equestrian military which has grown dramatically since the disappearance of the Elements of Harmony.

>>41047159
I think we're good to go.

>>41047159
I have one more question to ask you my friend. Is there anything else you can tell us about your leader Abuwtiyuw all we know is that he's some kind of dog priest looking for ancient relics like the staff and pendant I just show you do you know about his past, ever met him personally before, or about his true motives for wanting these relics so desperately and frankly?!

>>41047218
>>41047260
“I have one more question to ask you my friend. Is there anything else you can tell us about Abuwtiyuw? All we know is that he's some kind of Dog priest looking for ancient relics like the staff and pendant I just showed you. Do you know about his past, or ever met him personally before?”
>”I only know what the other Dogs say, and I’ve only heard the story once. Abuwtiyuw was from a small pack far away from here. When he was a pup he would be struck by visions that left him weak so his pack sold him to the priests. At some point before maturity Abuwtiyuw left the priest Dogs and was enslaved by a pony traveler who brought Abuwtiyuw with him around the world, even Equestria for a time. I don’t remember what happened to that pony, but eventually Abuwtiyuw had another vision and returned to his pack to became their leader, which was when he came to the south just as you ponies began your war against us and stole our dens. His pack was the first to come to the aid of other packs and others eventually followed his lead. Over the last few years he became our war leader.”
>The Dog takes a drink from his canteen before continuing
>”At some point the priest Dogs became interested in him, but priest Dogs don’t talk to us regular Dogs. I only know that they occasionally preach his message of Dog unity and returning to the ancient ways in the marketplaces. But I don’t know anything else. I’m sorry, great pony, if anything I said doesn’t make sense, but I only know very little of the story.”
“It’s okay, I appreciate it. Have you ever met him personally before? Or know about his true motives for wanting these relics so desperately?”
>”No, I haven’t met him. At least I don’t think I have. Dogs say he walks among us in the city, but I don’t go into the city often. As for why he wants relics? The priests and other Dogs say the relics are the key to restoring our ancient kingdom. They say the relics hold the magic of civilization. When we have enough we will have magic like ponies.”
“That’s an interesting story. Well, thank you for answering my questions but we need to return to our camp now.”
>The Dog nods, “you have been an interesting guest, great pony. But if you’re going to take your ponies through my land, I must ask that I may be allowed to see your camp beforehand so I know what you e said about being travelers is true. No offense, great pony, but I can’t have soldier ponies travel through my land.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Have a good night.”
>With that you and your ponies walk back to your boat

>>41047437
>”So, do you believe what he said?” Hollow asks Barrel once you are outside of the Dog’s hearing range
>”I don’t know. I guess I don’t have a reason to not believe him but some of what he said sounds… I don’t know. I just have my doubts.”

>When you return to camp you find Soul looking over Silver’s wounds once again
“How’s she doing?”
>Soul jumps at your question before looking up at you
>”Oh, welcome back. Yeah, Silver’s doing alright, all things considered. She woke up a couple hours ago for just a few moments, but I don’t think she’ll remember that. Again, she’ll probably wake up for good tomorrow or the day after.”
“Good to hear. Alright, help me round everypony up. We’re going to have a lot to talk about.”
>Soul nods and gets up to help gather the clients and other guards
>Once everyone is together you tell them what you’ve learned about the city, which is met with worried murmurs among the settlers
>Once you are done talking you take questions from the crowd
>”Are you going to rescue the others?” a settler mare asks
[Input Needed]

>>41047441
Ardent sighs"I'm sorry ma'am I wish we could but there's only 50 of us left against a whole army of dogs we barely survived the last encounter with them if we tried we'll only get ourselves killed. I'm afraid the only hope those pony slaves have now is for us to find a way back to the surface, head back to Gate City, and contact the Royal Guard for additional reinforcements so they can launch a full scale rescue operation".

>>41047504
Nah fuck this pessimism. Let's at least consider out options and see if we can come up with some plans.

>>41047441
We only have half of our supplies so therefore limited resources I don't think we'll be able to tend to all the slaves injuries and even if we did rescue them an alarm for the city will go off and they'll hunt us down in full force, so getting everypony out will be very slim the best chances for many ponies to survive is to go and get backup rather than risk a life or death suicide mission.

I'm interested in what this anon had in mind.
>>41047131

>>41047504
>>41047511
>>41047545
>You sigh
“I'm sorry ma'am I wish we could but we only have half of our supplies and there's only fifty of us against a whole army of Dogs. We barely survived the last encounter with them and if we tried to fight them directly again we'll only get ourselves killed. I'm afraid the only hope those pony slaves have now is for us to find a way back to the surface, head back to Gate City, and contact the Royal Guard for additional reinforcements so they can launch a full scale rescue operation.”
>The crowd is silent except for the sniffles of ponies
>Families, friends, and strangers hug each other but no one disagrees with your assessment
>Looking to your guards you find them all giving you somber nods in agreement or looking away in shame
>Everyone except Soul Mane
>The stallion doesn’t say anything to you
>Instead he looks at you in disappointment and shakes his head
>For a moment you feel angry; angry that he’d judge you for making the clear, obvious call
>But then the target of your anger changes from him to the situation
>It wasn’t right
>It wasn’t fair
>You’d made the best decisions you could in the moment and you’d still wound up in this mess
>So why take any more risks
>…

>Fuck this pessimism
“I know I said the situation is bleak,” you address the crowd, “but I’m open to suggestions. I’m just a single pony, so if someone has a different view on the matter, I’d like to hear it. Not saying we’ll go with it, but I’d like to check other possibilities.”
>The crowd looks at you in silence, their hope already dashed

>>41048064
>You look to Soul Mane, but even he looks to be short on suggestions
>Finally, after a few seconds pass Barrel steps forth
>”We don’t know much about the security situation outside of what we’ve been told. We could do another, longer reconnaissance mission. Send a couple of us into the city and try to scope out what we can of the slave market. I doubt we’ll find anything helpful but knowing more about what we’re dealing with is always good.”
>Hollow shifts uncomfortably on her hooves before rolling her eyes and stepping forward as well
>”If we really, really want to save the twelve missing settlers we don’t necessarily have to make a big jail break and free all the other slaves. We could just wait until our settlers get purchased at the auction and follow them back to wherever their new master decides to keep them and then free them on individually. There’s no sense in freeing all of the other slaves in our situation and even if we can’t free everypony at least we’ll free some.”
>The crowd of ponies murmur to each other and you can feel the blanket of pessimism slip a little
>Following the other two, Soul steps forward
>”You all seem to be forgetting something. We don’t know for sure if the others have been found yet, or if all of them were even enslaved if so. It’s pretty damn premature to be jumping to conclusions yet.”
>Soul looks you in the eye
>”Ardent, sir, I recommend we do a reconnaissance mission and try to figure out for sure what’s happened to the others before we make any final decision.”
>Everyone looks to you
[Input Needed]

>>41048067
Agreed, we'll need more information regardless. Whether we manage to free the others or not we gotta come up with a way to get out.

>>41048067
The farmer dog I talked to told me that a Day after Tomorrow there will be a auction for pony slaves somewhere in the city so that means the next day is our only chance to find out for sure if the missing settlers are there or not. Therefore, we have a full day to confirm the missing blanks on their whereabouts!

Let's do it but remember this is strictly recon only get inside the city, keep a low profile, find out whatever Intel we can, and get the buck out before the diamond dogs can ever know we were ever there I'm not losing anymore ponies to these animals!

>>41048067
Once we get all our info for tomorrow we can plan our next move that night for the auction although, if something we're to happen and the diamond dogs caught wind of our plans or say capture us we have their precious staff and pendant something that Abuwtiyuw the priest is looking for turns out they're very rare and Sacred to the Diamond Dogs it will be our Ultimate Bargaining Chip to ensure our freedom and the slaves pony settlers in case things goes wrong, however we'll only use that as a total last resort if our plan fails. Gotta have a backup plan in situations like this in order to expect the plan to go off the rails!

>>41047962
The idea was hoping that a "far away dog" came from overseas to buy a ton of ponies. They'd need a slave barge and access to the ocean to make it possible. After their purchase is loaded on said barge, we hijack it. We'd get a ride to the coast and southern colonies and the slaves they purchased would get their freedom.

bump

>>41047167
Uhh, Can you divulge some info without crossing past the meta knowledge boundary? It's not like the EoH are trapped and we have to save them right (wink wink nudge nudge) RIGHT? RIGHT?

>>41048436
That's a nice plan, but we have to go to the entrance first.....

>>41048096
>>41048295
>>41048402
“Agreed, we'll need more information regardless. The farmer Dog I talked to told me that the day after tomorrow there will be an auction for pony slaves somewhere in the city so that means tomorrow and part of the day after is the only time we can learn if the missing settlers are there or not. And even if we don’t find the settlers we’ll need to find a way out. I’ll put together a team and once we get all the info we can gather we can plan our next move.”
>Although the settlers remain grim, you feel that at least a little optimism is starting to grow
[Input Needed] [Who do you want on the scouting party and when are you going to send them?]

>>41050013
I think it should just be Hollow and Ardie. She can be sneaky and has the "disguise" and we can use earth sight to avoid guards. More ponies means more chance of detection.

>>41050026
Oh and let's go as soon as we're fully rested and ready.

>>41050013
Me and hollow will take care of this guys we'll lead the scouting party besides I want to take a look at this City full of Diamond Dogs myself see what were up against while you two barrel and soul keep watch over the settlers camp site.

>>41049987
I don’t have any plans for the EoH to ever show up in the story directly. The main reason I wrote them out of the story is because I wanted an Equestria that was more divided, both socially and in terms of where its attention, and a bit more dystopian. I can’t see that happening with the Mane Six around without mischaracterizing them or having them just solve a lot of the major issues themselves, specifically everything going on with the Diamond Dogs and the rebels in the southern colonies. Once I wrote them out with the season three premiere a lot of things just fell in place with what I wanted. To be clear, Celestia and Luna are still around and are competent, caring, and genuinely good leaders but with Equestria facing so many problems on so many fronts they’re too busy focusing on the large existential issues going on to pay attention to the small things, which is why they founded Parliament and have slowly given them more and more power. Sorry if this explanation is a bit unfocused but I wrote it between moments of busyness.

>>41050026
>>41050033
>>41050075
Noted. I’ll write the update after I finish my dinner.

Whoops, fell asleep for a couple hours there. Sorry for the delay.

>You dismiss the crowd and pull all the guards to the side
“Alright, I’ve decided that Hollow and I will be our scouting party.”
>The Roughshod unicorn raises a hoof
>”Uh, are you sure you don’t want backup? Or at least another set of eyes for scouting?”
“No, more ponies mean more chance of detection. We’re just going to do a quick recon mission; get inside the city, keep a low profile, find out whatever intel we can, and get the buck out before the Diamond Dogs can ever know we were ever there. No need to risk any other ponies. Hollow and I are the best suited for this kind of situation. Besides, I want to take a look at this City full of Diamond Dogs myself to see what we’re up against while the rest of you keep watch over camp.”
>”And if you get caught?” the unicorn asks. “You’re in charge of the group now, we can’t afford to lose you, not now with Flash gone and Fleur’s authority seemingly undermined in the eyes of the clients.”
“If something happens to me then Barrel Cactus is in charge. However, if something does happen I still have a bargaining chip, hopefully a powerful one.”
>You pull the rod and pendant from your saddlebag
“These seem to be important magical artifacts to the Dogs, especially their leader Abuwtiyuw. If we get caught there’s a chance I could win us, all of us, including the settlers, our freedom in exchange for hoofing it over. I’m only going to try that as a last resort though.”
>Everyone nods in understanding and Hollow raises a hoof

>>41050697
>”So, what time do we head out?”
“We’ll leave as soon as we're fully rested and ready. Let’s make a hearty dinner and get as much sleep as we can. We’ll plan on entering the city ten hours from now.”

>Ten hours later the two of you stand inside the farmer’s second tunnel
>From where you stand you see what looks like a city block made up of abandoned stone homes
>The houses lack any doors or window shutters, although they have both windows and doorways
>In the near distance are taller buildings, some of which glow softly with candle or lantern light while others stay dark and foreboding
>In the far distance is the city wall you were told about
>It was unnaturally smooth, clearly the work of Diamond Dogs
>Lights peer out of small windows cut into the wall, hinting at some kind of habitation inside the wall itself
>The air where you stand has a slightly smokey smell and you can faintly hear the sound of bells in the direction of the wall
>”So,” Hollow asks, “where did you want to start? The abandoned apartments Barrel and I stayed in are just a short walk from here and they’ll give us a decent look at the rest of the district. Otherwise we could sneak our way to the local market where they have a few slave pits, but that might be risky since there’s so many Dogs wondering about. And I suppose we could just go straight to the wall and try to get a look at the big slave market your Dog friend mentioned, but we should probably wait until you have a collar and bracelets before trying that.”
>You consider your options
[Input Needed]

>>41050700
Let's head to the abandoned apartments, we can make a sort of base camp there and take look at the district.

>>41050700
Let's head to the abandoned apartments first I want to see the what the district looks like and who knows perhaps I might discovered something that you and barrel might have overlooked or didn't see the first time.

I’m going to need a Perception Check (D20+2)

Rolled 18 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>41050821

“Let's head to the abandoned apartments, we can make a sort of base camp there and take look at the district. Who knows, perhaps I might discover something that you and Barrel had overlooked or didn't see the first time.”
>”What, you don’t think we did a good job of scouting?”
>You shake your head vigorously
“No, I trust the both of you. That’s why I sent you. It’s just that an extra pair of eyes always helps.”
>Hollow smirks and punches your shoulder
>”Don’t worry, I know what you meant. Come on, I’ll take you to the apartment.”

>Hollow leads you through a series of alleyways between the little stone houses to the apartment building
>Along the way you both keep your eyes and ears on a swivel, listening for any possible Dogs or other creatures
>Only once do you spot any signs of life, a Dog patrol at the far end of the road directly outside the apartments
>Thankfully the building seems to be outside of their patrol area and soon they disappear back towards the district center
>The two of you sweep the building together, going room to room to make sure you won’t be surprised by any overlooked inhabitants
>It takes some time, but it’s better than taking an unnecessary risk
>After a couple hours you and Hollow have a little camp set up at the top floor of the building where you can look out over the district
>Using the binoculars that Barrel loaned to you for this trip, you scan the area
Perception Check: Massive Success
>Along the wall at street level you see large, open gates
>Armed Dogs, averaging five at each gate, stand guard, stopping any Dog that tries to pass through the gates and talking with them
>After what you suspect is a routine interrogation the traveler Dogs give the guards a single large gemstone and pass onto the other side of the wall
>Just as you are about to turn your attention away you spot a pair of ponies pull a cart up to one of the mall gates where they are stopped by the guards
>The ponies are surrounded by the guards who rough them up a little but otherwise perform another quick interrogation before sending the ponies on their way after being handed a single gem
>You make a mental note that the Dogs never checked what was in the covered wagon
>After that you check the district market
>Smoke hangs heavy over the open air market as many stalls and buildings hold furnaces or open fires
>In addition to the same goods you’d expect to see at any market in Equestria, you see many restaurants and food carts roasting what looks like various kinds of meat
>Weapons are proudly displayed at every smith or tool shop and you even spot a stall selling firearms

>>41051082
>As you watch the firearm dealer try to win over a customer he grabs one of the rifles, loads it with powder, wad, and shot and fires it into the air in your general direction
>There’s no way he saw you so you continue to watch, only hearing a single, small pop after a few seconds
>The rifle produces a large white puff of smoke and the two Dogs resume their haggling before eventually exchanging the rifle for a cart full of lizard skins
>In between two buildings you spot a small stall selling leather goods maned by a single pegasus pony
>Her spiked collar is chained to the stall but she doesn’t seem to be in any distress
>Looking over the wares it seems the stall sells leather armor alongside the familiar vests and spiked collars of Diamond Dogs
>The final thing you note is how busy the market is
>The aisles and roads between stalls and stores are crowded with Dogs and the occasional donkey or pony, all of which buy mostly food
>Watching the ponies you see most of them follow behind a Dog, likely their master, and don’t interact with anyone else except to load goods into saddlebags or onto small carts
>The few slaves that aren’t with a Dog receive sneers from the shop owners and seem to pay more than Dog customers for the same amount of goods
>Most customers, both Dog and slave alike, come and go from stone buildings surrounding the market
>If you had to guess, this district housed around ten thousand or so inhabitants, a lot higher than you expected for some reason
>”Notice anything weird about the market?” Hollow asks
“Yeah, it looks like it mostly runs on barter. Both parties exchange goods instead of using currency in most cases, although it seems gems kinda fill in for bits in the sense every store seems to want them.”
>Hollow nods, “yeah, that’s true. But did you notice almost all the stores are ran by females?”
>You peer back through your binoculars to confirm what she said
>Paying closer attention to the Dogs you realize the vast majority of them are indeed female, except for the weapon and tool merchants
>Ever the stores staffed by pony and donkey slaves are mostly mares only
“Huh, I guess Dog society must have strict gender roles. If the males act as guards and miners then maybe merchants are expected to be females, or at least the clerks are.”
>Scanning over the district you barely spy another hub of Dog activity hidden behind some more abandoned buildings
>There’s a large amount of Dog guards, a dozen or so, standing around metal grates in the ground
>Large wagons with metal roofs and metal bar walls are parked nearby
>What’s beneath the grates in the ground you can’t tell
[Input Needed]

>>41051086
Hey Hollow what that's area full of guard dogs doing there it looks like a full platoon is that one of the pits' where they keep the slaves?

>>41051086
We need a closer look at those pits. Hard to mount a rescue mission if we don't even know where our rescuees are.
How's the area above the grates, could Hollow take a look from above? We could create a diversion of needed.

>>41051086
So travel between districts is regulated and a toll needs to be payed? That poses a significant problem both since any slaves passing through should know their destination and we have no gems. Although, I doubt an ancient city like this doesn't have a few secret passages being dug over it's long history.

>>41051173
>>41051186
>You point with a hoof
“Hey, Hollow? What’s that area full of guard Dogs over there? Is that one of the pits where they keep the slaves?”
>”Uh, yeah, I think it is. That’s the general area Barrel and I were in when we spotted those pits yesterday. They must be the same ones.”
>You watch the area around the grates for a few minutes to see if you notice any way of approach
>The Dogs are laid back, some even smoking what looks like cigarettes and playing some kind of dice game
>The whole time you watch them there’s always one looking around, but never looking above the rooftops
“Doesn’t look like they expect any fliers. Do you think you could take a look at those slaves from above? I can provide a distraction if need be.”
>Hollow motions for the binoculars, which you give her
>After looking at the area for half a minute she nods
>”Oh yeah, I could definitely get a look from above. The ceiling is dim enough that even if they looked for me I doubt they’d find me. I’m going to need these nocs if I’m going to get a good look at them, though. Otherwise I’ll just be able to count them and tell you what color, race, and sex they are.”
>You consider the risks
“We need a closer look at those pits. Go ahead and fly out there, I’ll wait for you here. Make sure to be safe and stay out of sight, okay?”
>She nods
>”Of course, Ardie. I’ll be right back.”
>She takes the final flight of stairs up to the roof and you here her take off but when you look out the window you never find her

>Waiting for Hollow’s return is miserable
>To kill the time and keep yourself from worrying you grab your quill and notebook and draw, a hobby of yours you haven’t had much time to do
>The drawings you make aren’t much, mostly just little goofy ponies and scenes that are as far away from Dogs and slavery and killing as possible
>When you hear your friends hoof steps down the stairs you slide the notebook and quill back into your saddlebags and wait for Hollow’s appearance
“How’d it go?”
>She gives you a toothy smile
>”Easy as stealing candy from a blind foal. The Dogs never even so much as glanced up the entire time I was there. I counted twenty slaves split between three pits, one for stallions, one for mares, and one for foals. All ponies, too.”
“See any of ours?”
>She continues to smile, “yup. Fleur’s assistant, Green something or another, was there as well as that journalist mare. There were eight others I recognized, all mares or foals.”
>You assume she’s smiling from a successful scouting trip, not because of the situation
“That leaves only two ponies unaccounted for and they’re both stallions. Did you see if there was anywhere else they may have been keeping slaves? A building perhaps?”
>She shakes her head
>”Sorry, but I didn’t see anything like that.”
>You sigh
“Alright, you did good. Real good.”
[Input Needed] [What do you want to do next?]

>>41051486
All right now that we know what happened to the other settlers next on the agenda is to find out where the hay are they going to auction on them off will it be at the local market or at the big slave market over the wall we need to find out where do you want to go next partner?

Bump

>>41051697
“All right now that we know what happened to the other settlers next on the agenda is to find out where the hay they are going to auction them off.”
>”Didn’t your Dog friend say ponies sometimes scout out slaves for their masters? Maybe we could disguise ourselves as slaves and try finding a pony familiar with the slave trade that would be willing to tell us where the auction will be. I can’t image any pony would be suspicious of or willing to sell out their fellow ponies to the monsters that enslaved them.”
“Maybe. That could be risky though.”
>You consider your options but decide to differ to Hollow’s opinion
“So, if you were in charge where would you want to go next?”
>She seems shocked by your question
>”Uh, I guess I would say that we should at least get you a collar and bracelets like everyone else down here. If we try walking through the gates you’re going to need them anyway.”
“Assuming we go through the gates. I’ve been thinking, an ancient city like this has to have secret passages between districts.”
>Hollow nods eagerly with your conjecture
>”For sure. When I was a teen we used to use the old ruins and tunnels under Canterlot to skip school or escape guards. I’m sure the teenage Dogs do the same thing here. Anyways, the call on what to do next is still up to you.”
[Input Needed]

>>41052519
We do have a full day doing reconnaissance anyway so let's try to see if we can find those secret passages first we need every advantage we can get if we want to stay ahead of our opponents and they might come in handy later let's go Hollow.

>>41052519
Lets look for passages, while keeping an eye out for a place to get those collars. Earth sight might help here.

>>41052722
the leather stall mentioned earlier had collars. (>>41051086)

I need a Perception (d20+2) and an Intelligence (d20+3) roll.

>>41052886
I’ll also need a Stealth (d20) check.

>>41053003
Question, do all of the slaves have five bands or can we borrow one of Hollow's?

Rolled 14, 20, 1 = 35 (3d20)

>>41052886
Perception, int, stealth

>>41053067
OOF

>>41053067
Well it was a fun quest.

>>41053003
“We have a full day to do reconnaissance still so let’s try to find any secret passageways we can since we’ll probably need them for one reason or another anyways. After that maybe we’ll try getting ahold of one of those collars for me. Any suggestions on where to start looking for the passages?”
>Hollow thinks for a long moment
>”We always found them at construction sites or in the poorer parts of the old city but I don’t know if this place has any construction or if there’s anyplace that isn’t as old as the rest of the city. I guess we could just look through all these abandoned buildings but that could take a while. Oh! I remember hearing about the catacombs in Prance, maybe this place has something similar? If they do and they’re nothing like the ones in Prance then there’s a chance they’re interconnected over the whole city.”
“You know, that makes sense. As old as this place is there had to have been hundreds of thousands if not millions that lived and eventually died here. I recall one of the Dogs I encountered before saying that Dogs believe that they must be buried when they die so there has to at least be a cemetery or something we can start out searching at.”
>You take Barrel’s binoculars and scan over the district for anything that could pass for a church or a graveyard
>After half an hour or so of searching you finally spot something that may be what you’re looking for
>It’s a small marble building, not much bigger than a storage shed, that sits a distance away from the surrounding buildings with no visible windows and only a single stone door
>What makes it stand out is the engraved facade with the image of a seven armed sun and crescent moon which match the engravings on the ancient Dog rod you’d found
>Thinking you may be on to something, you take extra time to search the nearby area for anything else of note
Medium Perception Check: Pass
>Another small marble building sits not far behind the first
>You had dismissed it initially but now that you’re looking closer you notice the partially erased image of a tatzlwurm on the facade
>Again, the design matches the one on the rod
>You search the building for any entrance but find none facing you
>The buildings aren’t very far away from where you are staying either, sitting just on the other side of the market
>Sneaking there will be a little slow but it shouldn’t take longer than an hour or so to reach, assuming there’s no hiccups along the way
“I think I found where we can start our search.”

>As you and Hollow sneak towards the marble buildings you take it slow, with Hollow taking the lead as her sight and hearing are better than yours in the dim light
>Occasionally you are forced to wait in alleyways while Dogs, guard and civilian alike, pass by you
>Whenever you are forced to wait for a long time you cast Earth Sight and learn a few things

>>41053608
>The buildings, even the ones that are close to the market, are largely abandoned
>In the buildings that Dogs do inhabit the inhabitants mostly stay in the basements
>Dogs cook, eat, and assumedly sleep in their basements, while the occasional home with a slave has the slave either living in a room above ground or chained in a room in the basement
>Occasionally you spot an underground body of water far below you, around three hundred feet under your hooves
>The water flows gently and you can see vague outlines of metal pipes pumping the water to the surface, when it’s collected by people with buckets or cups
>It seems every house and store has the plumbing necessary to retrieve the water
>Besides that, casting Earth Sight has become second nature to you thanks to how often you are casting it

>Forty minutes after you and Hollow left your camp in the apartment the two of you approach the two buildings you had spotted earlier
>The area here is only slightly more populated than the abandoned blocks of buildings you camp in, with an inhabited building only once every three or four hundred feet
>Which means the two of you are able to quickly move from alleyway to alleyway and after a few short minutes you sit together in an alleyway outside the open area that surrounds the marble building with the sun and moon facade
>While Hollow looks and listens for any signs of possible threats you cast Earth Sight one more time
>You spot movement, two old Dogs sitting on a rooftop overlooking the open area, one of which holds a rifle across his lap
>You also spot two more Dogs doing something inside the building you’re moving towards
>You whisper your discovery to Hollow but remain in the spell and try to find any signs of possible underground tunnels but fail to find any movement below you
>Frustrated, you kick a hoof without thinking
Hard Intelligence Check: Critical Success!
New Spell: (Advanced) Earth Sight
>As you sever the connection to the ground Earth Sight requires you instinctively try to maintain the spell, pouring as much magic into it as you can
>Your vision goes dark for a moment and you feel the spell begin to unfurl just as your hoof strikes the ground
>Suddenly you see everything connected to the earth around you
>The world appears in your mind as a wireframe, buildings, tunnels, and moving creatures all
>The image holds in your mind, acting like a live video in your mind
>Your range of vision remains the same, however it takes an absurd amount of energy to cast
>You’ll probably only be able to cast it four or five times a day before exhausting your supply of magic
>Although you are shocked at first you quickly move to take advantage of the unexpected situation and search for any underground passageways
>You immediately find one such passageway directly beneath your hooves

>>41053612
>The tunnel is a confusing maze, even for you with your spell, and connects not to the building with the sun and moon but instead connects to the other marble building with the tatzlwurm
“Hollow, you were right. There’s an entire maze down there.”
>”Really? Cool. Can you see an entrance?”
“Yeah, it’s that marble building in the back, behind the one in front of us.”
>Hollow looks at the building and whispers back
>”We could probably swing around this open area and approach that building from behind. That way we can stay in the alleys the whole time.”
>You agree with her assessment and the two of you backtrack a little before finding a new way to approach the marble building that has more cover
>As you cross the last street before reaching your goal a Dog guard patrol at the far end of the street rounds the corner, surprising both you and Hollow
>The two of you quickly dive into the closest cover you can find, a small building
>The building has only one entrance and window, both of which face the street the Dogs patrol
>The air just outside the building reeks of urine
>”Did they see us?”
>You cast your basic Earth Sight and see that the Dogs maintain their casual pace
“Doesn’t look like it. There’s four of them, all with spears and clubs. They’re heading this way so just bunker down and wait for them to pass.”
>The Dogs move slowly and look straight down the road, which forces you to stop and wait them out
>As the Dogs get closer you and Hollow crouch down in the darkness of the building, hiding from the light of the torch one of the Dogs carries in a paw
>The patrol slowly walks past your building, chatting idly about female Dogs they’re interested in
>You hold your breath as they pass, making sure not to move even a single inch for fear they’d hear your armor scrape the stone wall you are pressed against
>You hear the Dogs sniff at the air right outside the window as they pass
>”Wait,” one of the guards calls to the others, “I need to piss.”
>”You’re obsessed with that building,” one of the guards says
>”Hey, I’m a creature of habit.”
Stealth Check: Critical Fail
>You faintly hear the sound of liquid splashing against the outside wall of the building you’re in as the Dog urinates
>”Hey, what’s that glow?”
>You instantly cancel your spell, fearful that the glow of your horn in the darkness just sold out your location to the patrol
>You mentally kick yourself over and over for the mistake
>You look around for Hollow but fail to find her and assume she’s disappeared into the darkness
>”Shit, it’s gone. I swear there’s some kind of light in there.”
>”Yeah, I saw it too,” another guard agrees
>”Whoever’s in there, come out now!” a Dog barks. “If we have to come in there you’re not gonna like it.”
[Input Needed]

>>41053616
Time to make ourselves scarce quick fall back and find somewhere to hide in the buildings dark shadows there's got to be something in here that will conceal our presence if not then find an alternative way out of the building where they couldn't see us.

>>41053770
>You push yourself as deep into a dark corner that you can and look around for an exit
>Besides the single doorway and window that face the four guard Dogs outside you don’t see a single exit
>There’s also nothing to hide behind other than Hollow who crouches in the corner opposite you
“Last warning! Come out now!”
[Input Needed]

>>41053835
Drat so much for that idea it's a long shot but the only idea I can think of now is that we risk using our magic, grab something we saw earlier before entering the building, and try to make a loud noise with the object from the outside using our telekinesis in order to draw their attention directly towards it that way the dogs might redirect their focus to the loud noise.

>>41053835
There is a other idea we can do dogs have sensitive hearing so using our magic to make certain sound vibrations will hurt them and cause them to want to leave area as far away as they can.

>>41053835
I don't see any way this ends without violence. Even if one us pretends to be a slave they'll demand to know our owner.
I say we act as bait, talk to them and keep their eyes on us while Hollow attacks from the shadows and we blast them.

Bump

>>41054263
I concur,

Bump

>>41054945

>>41053027
The slaves always have a collar but the number of bracelets, if any, varies

>>41053874
>>41054251
>>41054263
>You rack your brain for answers and remember a small loose rock you’d just passed on the street
>Even though you can’t see it you still try to grab it with your telekinesis
>It’s a hard trick to pull off and you unfortunately fail to find it
>Regardless of your failure your horn glows with magic, illuminating you in the darkness of the house
>”There he is!”
>You hear the Dogs snarl and figuring the jig is up jump into the doorway and raise both your hooves
>Immediately two of the Dogs point their spears at you, the tips hovering just inches from your throat
>”It’s a knight!” one shouts and you’re dragged from the doorway by a hoof
>Immediately one of the Dogs with a club bring his weapon down on your head only for it to glance off of your conical helmet, saving you from most of the damage
>”We should kill him,” one suggests, “he’s a knight!”
>Another Dog pokes you hard with a spear but not enough to pierce your armor
>”Quiet, all of you,” an older Dog orders before picking you up by the tail with a paw
>You intentionally don’t resist the abuse, hoping that at the least Hollow will be able to escape
>”Tell me, knight pony, how many of your friends are with you.”
“I’m it, I promise.”
>The Dog bears his teeth, “don’t you lie to me, pony.”

>>41055526
“I’m not. Honesty is a virtue.”
>”We’ll see.”
>The Dog drops you and orders his companions to search your saddlebags for weapons
>”Except for you, Chico. Give the house a search.”
>As the Dogs rip open the flaps of your saddlebags and spill out the contents therein the youngest looking Dog picks up his club and steps inside the house
>Something in your saddlebag falls out with a metallic clink and you look down to see the magic rod roll down the street
>The oldest Dog picks up the rod and turns it over in his paws as the other two dogs continue to rummage through your saddlebags
>”Where did you get this?”
>As you begin to answer there’s a blood curdling howl from inside the house all three Dogs turn away from you to look at the house
>Immediately you jump to your hooves and fire your Triple Bolt at the back of the heads of the three distracted guards
>All three bolts make solid hits but unfortunately lack the power of your single telekinetic bolt
>The Dogs yelp in surprise and swing around in confusion
>You take advantage of the situation and blast the old Dog with a powerful bolt, knocking him to the ground unconscious
>The two remaining Dogs recover their wits and attack, the first thrusting with his spear only for your new armor to save you
>Your not so lucky with the second Dog, who swings his club at you once again, this time delivering a blow to your chest and sending you staggering back
>The Dog with the spear steps forward and raises his spear only to be tackled from behind by Hollow
>As the two wrestle you turn your attention to the club Dog and blast him in the shoulder
>The Dog shrugs it off and swings at you
>You jump back and fire wide, letting the Dog to again swing at you
>This time you duck under the swing and fire a bolt straight up at the Dog’s chin
>The Dog drops with a thud and as you spin to help Hollow you find her standing over the now dead spear Dog, her barding and coat splattered with blood
>The two of you pant from the exertion and check on the Dogs, finding the old Dog and the club Dog still alive but unconscious
>”We should finish them off, hide the bodies, and run,” Hollow suggests, “before more guards arrive.”
>You can’t deny the thought is tempting, but at the same time you still want to finish the mission
>After all, the entrance to the underground tunnel is just across the street
[Input Needed] [What do you want to do with the Dogs and do you want to proceed with the mission or run off and try to find a different entrance to the underground?]

>>41055529
Do as hollow says but we should hide the bodies in like the Landfill or atleast in a dumpster and after we hide the bodies, we should scout a little bit more before retreating.

>>41055529
We know where the entrance is, so we can try again later once the heat dies down. Grab a dog spear and make it look like they were killed with weapons rather than magic. Also collect our stuff.

>>41055526
Might be possible to connect two bracelets so they look like a collar at a glance.

>>41055529
If the alarm geta raised, we'll have a much harder time getting around next time. Hiding the bodies should give us enough time to head underground. Since it's such a maze we should be able to keep hidden.

>>41055558
The problem with that plan is that there might not be another way out of the catacombs in this district.

>>41055529
Good idea hollow we can't lose the element of surprise and have these dogs report back to their superiors and we need to make sure we can still rescue our captured settlers we're not going to leave them as slaves especially those foals down there we just saw.

Kill them!

bumpa

>>41055543
>>41055555
>>41055558
>>41055730
“Agreed.”
>You look up and down the street for a place to hide the bodies
>All throughout the city you’ve seen very few signs of trash which means there must be some kind of waste disposal service in the city, which in turn must mean there’s some kind of dumpsters or something placed throughout the city you could use
>Sure enough, right down the road is a large metal box with a lid
“We’ll finish them off with the spear and dump them inside that thing over there.”
>Hollow sets about removing the collars and bracelets on the Dogs, leaving their necks exposed
>Quickly, you pick up the spear and pierce the throats of the two unconscious Dogs, who shake and twitch but otherwise remain still as their blood flows from their wound
>The two already dead Dogs are already covered in multiple knife wounds from Hollow but you still give them the same treatment you gave the others just to be sure
>Lastly you take one of their vests to use as rags later and another you use to wipe up as much blood as you can from the ground
>Using your magic you bring the corpses and their weapons to the dumpster one by one before opening the lid
>The metal container is almost entirely empty except for some shattered glass bottles, which confirms that it is indeed made for trash
>You quickly toss the Dogs into the darkest corners you can, hoping they’ll be hard to see even if someone checked for them there
>With the last one tucked away you and Hollow rush to the closest alley you can and begin moving away from the underground, heading to the abandoned homes on the opposite side of the district from where your base camp is
>Thankfully you never once encounter another patrol along the way
>Eventually you come across a small, rusty water pump attached to a home and take moment to rest
>You instruct Hollow to search the house while you give the lever a few pumps, receiving metallic smelling water in return
>You cut the Dog vest into pieces with your knife and wet them before joining Hollow inside
>”I can’t find anything interesting,” Hollow admits, “there’s a couple small rooms in the back but otherwise this place is empty.”
>You nod in acknowledgment
“Alright, that’s fine. Come here, I want to get that blood off of you.”
>Using your magic you scrub her leather barding and coat down, removing all traces of blood
>It isn’t until after you’ve finished that you realize how intimate of an act it was, even when using your magic instead of your hooves
>You toss the bloody rags into a corner
>As you toss the last one away Hollow throws her hooves around your neck, holding you in an intimate embrace

>>41056927
>You’re caught off guard by the close contact, especially as your cheeks followed by your necks nuzzle against each other before you realize what she’s doing
>You feel a collar tighten around your neck and Hollow latch it in place with her hooves before she steps away from you and gives you a look over
>”There, now if we took off the armor and weapons we’d look like any ordinary couple of slaves.”
>You watch Hollow stuff the rest of the collars and bracelets into her saddlebags
>You both take drinks from your canteens and sit down to rest, obscured from sight by the cover of absolute darkness inside the house while still keeping an eye on the street through the front door
>”So, it’s been about ten minutes. How long did you want to wait before trying to enter the underground passage again?”
[Input Needed]

>>41056930
A half hour will do we shouldn't spend too much time hiding out here otherwise we'll miss our chance to find out where the auction is being held plus we need to map out the underground passage as much as possible if we're going to need a fast escape route in case we're compromised.

I don't really get what our plan was here. Just wait and see if anyone goes looking for the guards and hope they don't? If we're gonna use the same entrance anyway then isn't it better to do it sooner rather than later?

Bump

>>41057424

>>41056976
“A half hour will do. We shouldn't spend too much time hiding out here otherwise we'll miss our chance to find out where the auction is being held plus we need to map out the underground passage as much as possible if we're going to need a fast escape route in case we're compromised. Let’s just keep our ears and eyes open for any activity. I’d also like to do some more scouting along the way back so let’s take an alternate route.”
>”Sounds like a plan.”

>For the next half hour you wait, listening for any shouts or alarms of any sort but ultimately hear nothing
>As planned the two of you take an alternate route back to the marble building that houses the entrance to the underground, finding only a small block of Dog occupied houses and what seems to be a bakery that advertises various breads
>The bakery has a very pony-esque “closed” sign hanging on the front door with a list of hours of operation
>You’re not exactly sure how the Dogs tell time down here
>So far you haven’t seen any clocks or other time keeping devices and the faint glow of the lights above doesn’t seem to change in intensity
>The only reason you can keep track of time is thanks to the gold pocket watch one of the settlers loan you before your scouting trip
>Your desire to investigate Diamond Dog chronoception is put on hold as you continue to move

>After the ten minutes it takes you to return to the street with the marble building the two of you hide in yet another alley while you cast your basic Earth Sight
>Again, you spot two Dogs sitting on a nearby rooftop overlooking the empty area around the sun and moon building but from the way you are approaching the tatzlwurm building they shouldn’t be able to see you
>You also see two Dogs inside the tatzlwurm building, right in front of the entrance to the underground passageway
>Neither of the Dogs appear to be armed with weapons, instead appearing to read a book or scroll of some kind
>You open your eyes and tell Hollow what you saw and look over the tatzlwurm building with your physical eyes
>The building is a solid cube of black marble, with the exception of a white marble door that faces you
[Input Needed]

>>41057945
There right in front of us Hollow do you see any blind spots around us where we can sneak pass by them easily and quietly to avoid detection?!

>>41057945
The dogs inside don't look like guards. Think we could get away with pretending to be slaves?

>>41057945
I wonder if those could be the priests we keep hearing about.

>>41057958
>>41058033
>>41058070
“There’s two right in front of where we need to be.”
>”Guards?”
“No, or at least they don't look like guards. In fact, I wonder if those could be the priests we keep hearing about. Do you think we could get away with pretending to be slaves?”
>Hollow weighs the question in her mind
>”Ehh, I don’t know. It’d be one thing if they saw us walking around on the road, which we could probably explain away. It’s another thing for us to walk into the building where they keep the entrance to an underground passageway. Heck, if they’re priests then that passageway might be some kind of religious site, and I doubt they want ponies there.”
>You consider what she says and think about other options while you continue to watch the Dogs
>The Dogs inside the marble building continue to read their book or scroll
“Hollow, do you see any blind spots around us where we can sneak by them?”
>She shoots you a confused look
>”You’re the one that can see them through the walls, not me. Assuming there’s no way we can sneak past them inside the building we could lure them out here while we hide in the alley next to the entrance and sneak inside behind them as they leave to investigate our distraction. That way we can avoid detection and a potential fight.”
>You suppose that might work but as you look down the street you don’t see anything you could grab to make noise with, other than what’s in the dumpster you hid the Dogs in
>Even so, your options for how to approach this remain wide open
[Input Needed]

>>41058133
Any distraction noisy enough to be heard inside might also attract other dogs.
Maybe we just head inside and scope out the situation, take them out if need be.

>>41058133
We need to find out what's in that religious site I say we take the chance use the things from the dumpster where the dead dogs were at and make a loud noise from them so we lure them out and sneak inside but we make sure to take the items with us so they can't find them and then toss them away later where the other dogs can't see them out of place and out of sight.

>>41058247
>>41058334
Split vote. If there’s no tie breaker I’ll flip a coin in an hour.

>>41058133
Go with the distraction plan the more information we can get to learn about our enemies the better chances we have to improve our odds of survival.

>>41058573
Sorry for the delay. Coin Flip says you’ll try to lure them out.

“We’ll try to lure them out.”
>You trot to the dumpster and fetch one of the Dog clubs and a glass bottle
>You return to Hollow and you take cover inside a house next door
>Using your magic, you hover the club down the street and give the marble door a series of hard bangs and then toss the club behind the building
>You drop to your belly and stay in the darkness while Hollow sits just within the doorway, careening her neck to peek out and watch for the Dogs
>A full minute passes before the door slowly swings open, the sound of rock against rock clearly audible even inside the house
>Hollow ducks her head back inside and whispers
>”There’s two of them; a really tall, thin Dog and a shorter old Dog.”
“Did you see any weapons?”
>”Nope. They both had books, though. They were wearing white robes, too.”
>You think back to the ancient Dogs in the temple and their white robes, concluding that these Dogs probably were priests
>Hollow peaks around the doorway again before jumping back inside
>”They’re just sitting there arguing.”
>You nod, though she probably can’t see it, and toss the glass bottle down the road through the window
>A few seconds later you see the tall Dog run past your window and you hear a scampering of paws behind him
>Hollow raises to her hooves, looks both ways, then gallops as quickly and quietly as she can and you follow after her
>The white marble door remains wide open and Hollow rushes inside
>You hesitate only a second to grab the discarded club with your magic and bring it inside with you
>You decide not to close the door behind you as you step inside the small marble building
>You find yourself inside a candle lit room with a marble staircase built into the ground and note that the rock that makes up the floor of the city doesn’t match
>Taking a quick glance around the room you see what must be dozens of large scrolls stacked in various shelves
>Idols made of white marble and platinum are placed above each shelf, each one made in the image of a tatzlwurm

>>41059035
>Hollow immediately rushes down the stairs and disappearing into the darkness below
>You follow her immediately and light your horn so the two of you can see
>You stand at an intersection in a small tunnel, the roof just a couple feet above your head
>The walls are carved out of the same rock that makes most of the city, with cavities filled with the skulls of Dogs wrapped in white cloth
>The intersection is a four way, with a tunnel ahead of your, to the right, to the left, and of course to the rear
>There’s the sound of stone rubbing against stone behind you and you hear the voices of two Dogs in the room above you, which causes you to dull your horn a little in the hopes they don’t notice the glow of your magic
>”Which way do we go?” Hollow asks in a barely audible whisper
>You look at the walls of the different halls for any indication of where they lead
>There are small gold signs embedded into the rock, assumedly they’re the labels you’re looking for
>Unfortunately, their written in a language you don’t recognize
>You kick yourself mentally for not already learning your auto translate spell, but you haven’t had the time to study the last few days
>Without knowing where each tunnel leads you could end up getting lost in the maze of catacombs
>Or worse, go straight into some kind of den full of Dogs
>For their part the Dogs above you don’t seem to have noticed your presence and you hear the muffled sounds of them talking
[Input Needed]

>>41059039
To be honest with you hollow I'm not sure which path we should take I don't recognize the language and I haven't learn how to use the auto translate spell yet so whatever path we take we can't get it wrong otherwise we'll be lost down for the entire day. I say we should play safe and go straight unless wait maybe my advanced earth sight spell could help us know what obstacles each tunnel has in them and then we can know which way to go.

>>41059039
See if earth sight gives us any clues, at the very least it'll let us avoid any dogs.

>>41059039
We should check the ground for signs of paw prints both to see how often these catacombs are entered and where the traffic usually goes.

>>41059110
>>41059193
>>41059378
“To be honest with you Hollow I'm not sure which path we should take. I don't recognize the language and I haven't had time to learn how to use the auto translate spell yet.”
>You look around for any other clues before realizing you should check for paw prints
>Sure enough there are fresh tracks on the dusty floor, as well as red and white drops of candle wax
>The paw prints lead down the tunnel to the right
>You point out the prints to Hollow and then cast your (Advanced) Earth Sight
>You know the spell makes your horn glow far brighter than you’d like in this situation but you simply just hope the Dogs upstairs don’t see it
>The world within five hundred feet of you pops into your mind
>You immediately check the Dogs upstairs and find them resuming their reading or whatever it is with the books before checking the tunnels ahead of you
>All three bend and wind seemingly at random until they intersect with other tunnels at the edge of your vision
>You fail to find any signs of life down any of the tunnels as well, nor do you find any possible traps
>Far, far below you is the underground waters and you notice a pipe leading up to the tunnel straight ahead, ending at a spigot about four hundred feet ahead
>”So,” Hollow asks, “should we just follow the paw prints to the right then?”
[Input Needed]

>>41059480
Yeah let's take the right path the tracks may be fresh but I'm not feeling any signs of life so far the diamond dogs that were here are long gone or probably further ahead lets see what they were doing down here recently.

>>41059480
Seems like our best shot.

>>41059608
>>41060083
“Seems like our best shot. The tracks may be fresh but I'm not feeling any signs of life so far. Whatever Diamond Dogs that were here are long gone or probably further ahead. Let’s see what they were doing down here recently.”
>You take a moment to light your lantern and extinguish your horn while Hollow takes the lead
>The catacomb continues for a few hundred feet before you come to a t-intersection
>You again check the floor for tracks and find them continuing straight and you follow
>The trail continues to wind and bend for thousands of feet, occasionally intersecting other paths
>You notice that each intersection has a small gold plaque with strange alien words written upon it
>You always follow the paw prints when you come across each intersection, fully aware of how easy it would be to get lost even with your Earth Sight
>For the entire length you walk the walls are filled with Dog bones, with each skull wrapped in white or yellowed cloth
>Occasionally small walls of stone are covered in the strange writing with the same image of a tatzlwurm at the top
>After what must be a full mile or more of underground passageway you descend a short flight of stairs and enter a large, open room
>The room smells heavily of frankincense and sage
>Against the left wall is a stone coffin, about four feet long and two feet wide, that comes up to your chest and is covered in black soot and candle wax, with one tall candle still burning
>Standing over the coffin is a platinum statue of a Dog skeleton dressed in the same white clothing the Dogs you recently passed worm
>In the statue’s right paw is a platinum scepter while in the right it holds a gold rod that matches the one in your saddlebag almost perfectly, except it only has repeating images of the tatzlwurm instead of the other three objects
>A stone table sits against the opposite wall, a stone bowl holding still smoldering incense sticks resting atop along with a set of bronze knives and hooks, a loose stack of coarse papers, and what looks like an alchemy set
>Unlike the passageways, this room lacks any Dog bones or carved out areas for the placement of such bones
>Other than the path you came from, the passageway continues at the opposite end of the room but the paw prints end here
>As you take in the room Hollow investigates the alchemy set
[Input Needed]

>>41060145
"Find anything useful?"

>>41060145
Check the statue's artifacts. Are they magic or decorative?

>>41060159
>>41060213
"Find anything useful?"
>Hollow shakes her head
>”No, At least I don’t think I did. At first I thought maybe they were making some kind of embalming fluid given the whole spooky necropolis thing going on but I don’t think that’s what they were using this for.”
>She grabs a small glass bottle from a rack attached to the alchemy stand and turns it in her hooves before showing it to you
>The bottle is labeled in modern Equestrian
“Frilled lizard venom? Were they making poison?”
>Hollow shrugs
>”Maybe. I’d have to investigate more but I have a feeling they were after something else. There’s a way to get a powerful psychotropic from the venom, but you have to know what you’re doing.”
>You raise an eyebrow
“And you know that how?”
>Hollow places the bottle back where she found it
>”My potion brewing professor was part of U of C’s Hippology department and the husband of the vice-head of the Ministry of Health’s illicit drug program.”
>She stands still for a moment before speaking up
>”And I got curious once.”
>Before you can say anything she turns on you quickly
>”I just brewed it though. My at the time coltfriend took it. I promise.”
>You nod, not entirely sure what to make of what she said
>Instead you check the statue’s artifacts with your Material Analysis spell
>The scepter is almost entirely pure platinum but seems to be purely decorative
>The rod, however, is a perfect match to your own, even having a millennia old mare’s horn inside
>There’s also a spell attached to the rod, something similar to a typical illusion spell
>You also take the time to analyze the statue itself
>The statue itself isn’t of much note, except for the presence of something biological built into its core
>The biological material has a hard outer layer and a spongy layer and is reinforced with calcium
>When you come to and check your autoscribe you find your assumption correct
>There was a Diamond Dog skeleton inside that statue
[Input Needed]

>>41060271
Part of me wants to grab the rod, but someone might notice it missing and raise an alarm. I guess we'd better move on. Check the papers on the table just in case.

>>41060145
Hollow I have a strange feeling that this is room is probably where the Diamond Dogs perform ritual sacrifices here hence the need for coffins.

>>41060271
Grab the rod and replace it with something that looks similar at a glance. >>41060277
The rods could be a series that when unified creates a very powerful illusion spell.

>>41060287
We'll be down here again, so lets wait and grab it on our way out of the city.

>>41060277
>>41060280
>>41060287
“Hollow, I have a strange feeling that this is room is probably where the Diamond Dogs perform ritual sacrifices here, hence the need for coffins.”
>Hollow looks around the room then scrapes some spot off the coffin with a hoof
>”I don’t l know. This coffin doesn’t look like it’s been opened any time recently.”
>While she investigates the coffin you check the papers on the table and discover they’re written in a mix of modern Equestrian and Burro
>You read the ones written in Equestrian and learn they’re a mixture of shopping lists and the bemoanings of the author regarding a priest named Bean, who seems to be either the author’s mentor or master
>You turn back to the statue’s rod and think of what you could use as a stand in
>Obviously you lack anything that looks too close to the rod with the exception of the one you already have
>Checking your saddlebag you don’t find anything that could perfectly work as a replacement, even at glimpse
>You have a tin can of baked beans from your rations that’s about the right size as the rod, but it’s made of cheap tin and would be an obvious prop for anyone that looked at the statue
>If only you had some way to make it pass as gold at a glance
[Input Needed]

>>41060346
The appearance of some metals can be changed. Ask Hollow if there's a way to use the alchemy equipment to make the tin can look like gold.

>>41060357
“Hey, Hollow? Is there a way to use the alchemy equipment to make a tin can look like gold?”
>”Tin? Not that I’m aware of. I could do it with copper and if I had the right materials here. Why?”
>You explain your plan to switch out the rod
>Hollow taps here chin for a few seconds before rummaging through her bag and pulling out her largely depleted first aid kit
>Opening the kit she pulls out her thermal blanket, the outside of which is a goldish color
>”We can wrap the can in this. If we’re lucky it might fool someone that doesn’t look too closely at it for a couple hours.”
>You go along with the plan and replace the rod
>The gold blanket wrapped can doesn’t really look like the rod at all but it’ll pass at a glance in the low light of the tunnel
>You slide the rod into your saddlebag alongside its twin
>”Alright, should we get going then? I assume we’re continuing straight ahead, even without the prints to guide us.”
[Input Needed]