A malicious scoff breaks from behind the group. "Aww...I'm not getting to you, am I sweet-pea?" Mary overtakes, meeting noponys' gaze as she saunters past. "No ponies doing a good job insulting me properly, either." She sing-songs while passing Steel. It can't be said that any of the notes hit correctly. Looking over Ragnarok as she struts past Pickpear, Mary let's loose a groan. "Ugh! It's a dump! I don't blame the old nag for wanting to move on up! I'd build an army if I had that!" She fishes in the coat pocket, throwing the map on the ground to get a good look. "No...This is it. Shame. A bad location never looks good." She continues to look over the map for anything that could be seen as a 'sneaky way in'. She would have to go into 'Top Story' mode from now on. (I'm assuming a dice roll would be needed here.)
"Is anypony cold?" asked Intrude quietly. Without waiting for an answer, her horn glowed slightly. There was a slight warmth from each of their fur. She smiled at Little Sunshine kindly, and walked over to the map to investigate.
Spoiler: Roll stuff for ponies Roll Heart for Steel Heart: 10 + 2 = 12 Result: Just passed. Roll Mind for Mary Sue: 13 + 3 = 16 Result: Meh Roll Heart/Mind for Intrude: Natural 20 and 15 + 2 = 17 Result: Success and Meh Steel Heart's amulet suddenly lit with a tiny, magical fire. The fire itself was only enough to warm his own body. Anypony else would have to practically be standing on top of it if they wanted to feel its heat. Mary Sue looked over the map that Luna had given her. The map was quite the detailed topographical map with a neat, dark blue line stretching from the Equestrian border of Ragnarok to Dream Castle. A few points of interest were also maked, namely the old Earth Pony village and Fort Squall, the old Pegasus homeland. Ragnarok itself is not all that impressive, what with being a snow-covered wasteland and all. To Mary Sue, there didn't seem to be any "sneaky ways" into the Castle. It it's situated in the middle of a plain which had no natural boundaries on any side. Mary Sue could safely assume that if Constella had been standing on top of its highest tower, she'd likely be able to see the small group of adventurers. Intrude's spell went off without a hitch, gently warming each pony from their chest area outward. They would be protected from the cold...for now. She glanced over the map that Mary Sue was holding, but she didn't glean anything more from the map than Mary Sue had. Spoiler: Roll Luck 19 As the group begins heading toward Dream Castle, the wind howls and whips around them, chilling them slighly. Equine forms can be seen flitting in and out of view, just beyond the snow and fog. They don't seem overtly hostile, but their eyes glow with malicious intent. For now, though, they seem content to simply observe the adventurers from a distance.
She felt incredible sensations of unease as she began to trot on-wards in the direction that seemed obviously appropriate. She wasn't uncomfortable for the creatures which seemed to watch them, but for another pony intrusively casting magic on her. It was so strange to have somepony other than... well, somepony odd warming her. She kept her head low and her hood pulled forward as she trudged into the wasteland, knowing the others would be just behind. She mumbled quietly to nopony in particular, far too quietly to pick up.
Rashall pulled his cloak tighter about him to keep the wind out simply observing anything and everything. Every once and a while he chanced a look at his charge hoping she was doing okay.
"Oh wonderful..." She complains to nopony in particular, "Death, death and death." She looks up, spotting the ghostly equine shapes bob just out of reach of the group. She took note before returning to the map. "I say we head for Fort Squall. There might be something in use in the village or the Fort itself if the Nightmares aren't there already." Holding the map up again, she stuffs it back into the pocket of her jacket then walks onwards. "Follow me." She starts to speed up, moving past the group into the lead. "Don't fall behind. I'd prefer to have something to throw at the Nightmares."
Spoiler: Roll stuff Luck = 18 Microsleep = (Roll Hidden) (No one will be affected this turn) The ghostly equines continue their observation as the party trudges through the snow and ice on their way to Fort Squall. At first, only the tallest spire of Fort Squall can be seen, jutting upward through the clouds. As the party gets closer, it becomes apparent as to why the spire is so high up: The entire fort is several hundred feet from the ground. Somepony probably realized by now that Fort Squall was the Pegasus capital, after all. It's too bad the map didn't inform them that the capital was levitated, though... Spoiler: Roll Perception (Mind) (I actually took your Talents into account this time!) Pickpear: 4 + 3 = 7 Steel Heart: 14 + 3 + 1 = 18 Night Time: 18 + 3 + 1 = 22 Intrude Cranium: 3 + 2 = 5 Rashall: 7 + 2 = 9 Mary Sue: 12 + 3 + 1 = 16 Litte Sunshine: 11 + 3 + 1 = 15 The snow whipping around the ponies was enough to distract a few of the adventurers, but Night Time and Steel Heart could vaguely discern smaller euqine shapes on the walls of the fortress, as well as a few more flying around the fort itself, high above them. Pickpear's cloak wrapped more tightly around her, specifically her back legs, urging her to move away. Her Danger Sense seemed to tickle at her brain, too. At around the same time, Mary Sue and Little Sunshine spotted something shimmering in the snow underneath the Fortress. Something golden can be seen half-buried, likely dropped by one of the pegasi above.
Pickpear stops with a grunt and feels the shiver run down her spine. Not from the cold, but from the feeling of something bad about to happen. "Keep your eyes open for trouble..." she warned the ponies around her. She turned her head to look back and tugged at her legs, using her magic to assist her in freedom. Quieter, she argues at the cloak. "How am I to run in trouble if you keep such a tight grip? The master makes you look so protective..." she sighed. While near the front of the moving ponies at first, her irritation has caused her to miss the details of her surroundings.
Steel squinted his eyes seeing a bunch of equines on the wall and flying."yep, what pick said, whatever those small equine pegasi nightmare things are they are probably not friendly". He gripped the sickle from his bag tightly hoping he wouldn't have to use it. he took a deep breath and under his breath praying to Luna that things will go well. Once done he refocused on the task at hand.
"Hey... guys, what's that?" Little Sunshine took a few steps forward, but quickly retreated back next to Rashall where the wind was blocked. Having such a small body, the cold of the area was really getting at Sunshine. Even the smallest bit of heat was a blessing for her at this point. "I- there's something in the snow over there. I can't quite make it out. Do any of you see what I'm talking about?"
Night Time ignored Little Sunshine, keeping his eys on the small, equine shapes flying around in the distance. He couldn't let his guard down now. Not once. Not until they prove either hostile or passive anyway.
Spoiler: Roll Perception for Intrude and Rashall Intrude: 11 + 2 = 13 Rashall: 18 + 2 = 20 Peering through the snow, Intrude and Rashall spy the object that Little Sunshine pointed out. Rashall clearly sees that the object appears to be jewelry of some sort. Spoiler: Roll Percpetion for Night Time 3 + 3 +1 = 7 Night Time can't see the faces of the pegasi flying above him, so he can't tell whether they're hostile or not, nor can he tell if they've even seen the party.
She turned back to the other ponies to try and figure out what was slowing them down. As she'd notice Rashall looking at "something," she would follow his eyes to look for and inspect this object. Walking up to it to inspect it up close if needed. She didn't take much notice to the ponies looking up and around. Windigoes... there were plenty of those... and what a spectacle they may be, but they were not the reason Pickpear was along on this mission to begin with.
Pickpear found the object half buried in the snow some distance in front of the group. When she picked it up, she saw that it was a golden necklace, with a purple, diamond-shaped gemstone set into it.
It didn't take the treasure hunter long to levitate it into her cloak's pocket - opposite of the one she had her calling gem in. She turned and looked at the others. "Looks like something we need..." With the wind and cold, she shivered and clenched her teeth. At the sanctum the agents had been taking turns waking each other up every hour... but she was feeling a serious lack of internal temperature control from the lack of proper cycles. Even with the warming spell, her mind just didn't know the difference. She thought she should be cold, and so she was... even if she fought her own thinking.
"Something we need? Really? What exactly is it?" She asks from a distance. She wasn't planning on moving forwards at this point without needing to. She was watching the odd flight patterns of some of the Nightmare Pegasi above. She was in quite a bit of danger and her hooves were killing her. Plus, she'd never covered a what could be a war before.
