The grand royal castle of Bagnon was a greatly impressive structure; glittering red stone spires roofed with what looked like pure bronze and a large courtyard which the carriages rumbled into. Rarity was more than somewhat breathless as she looked up at the palace. “There are no words,” she said simply as she and her friends stepped down from the carriages.
“Indeed; Castle Garrach is the royal family’s pride and joy.” Quarian smiled. “Now once we’re inside the banquet hall, I’ll guide your eyes around the room to whomever you should be particularly wary of.”
“Great. Then we take ‘em aside and… persuade ‘em.” Rainbow smiled as she hopped out of the carriage, holding her swords at her side as well as a bundle with the other girls’ weapons.
“Rainbow, we’re at a royal banquet; the only ones here who should have any weapons are the guards.” Sunset pointed out.
“And the bodyguards.” Rainbow pointed out.
“Which, I’m sorry to say, you are neither.” Day reminded as he took the weapons from the paladin. “I’ll just check these with the guards for the evening along with our cloaks; you can retrieve them at any time during the evening’s proceedings. For now, you’re here to observe; that’s all.”
“Can I at least have my staff back? I’m basically useless without it.” Twilight insisted, pointing to the crystal ball in the head. (Twilight Sparkle Persuasion check 8 – DC 6)
“Oh, I suppose.” Day shrugged as he retrieved Twilight’s staff from the bundle and handed it to her. “I’ll be sure to give you the tickets when I check these.”
“Guh, I hate those tickets; the second you have them in your hand, you lose them right away.” Rainbow rolled her eyes.
“Well, if you’d like something to take your mind off that, I do believe I spy the emissaries from Olncarut arriving.” Quarian smiled as he saw a rather impressive white carriage rolling up. The door opened and from it stepped a rather unimposing, sage-like halfling woman in yellow and white robes with the same sort of sun pendant as Rainbow Dash… as well as a white-scaled Dragonborn in ornate, almost ceremonial silver chainmail with a shield-like badge at his shoulder with a dragon’s head on a blue background. “High Solar Priestess Leagallow, such a pleasure to see you again.”
“Likewise I’m sure, Lord Amakiir.” The priestess nodded cordially.
The elf smiled as he looked up at the Dragonborn. “And I see the holy city’s Scale Guard have a new captain. It’s, uh… Kerrhylon, isn’t it?”
“Mohradyllion, actually. Rathkran Mohradyllion.” the Dragonborn corrected.
“Oh yes, of course. Forgive me; I only heard it once in passing and my Draconic is truly terrible.” Quarian smiled apologetically. “I believe I saw you at the training fields when I visited a few months ago.”
“I see you’ve improved somewhat in your taste in company since then.” Rathkran pointed out, glancing over at the girls and suddenly making them feel very uncomfortable under the gaze of his steely blue eyes.
“Now-now Rathkran, no need to be judgmental.” Leagallow insisted gently as she walked over to the girls, smiling up at Rainbow. “A Sister of the Dawnfather’s faith, I see.”
“I only really joined a while ago; nothing formal or anything, really.” Rainbow shrugged as she knelt down to the halfling’s level. “Name’s Rainbow Dash.”
“A pleasure. I am Paela Leagallow, High Solar Priestess of Pelor’s Noon-Day Cathedral in Olncarut.” she nodded to the paladin. “Should you ever find yourself in the holy city, I can promise you would be properly welcomed in the Dawnfather’s Embrace.”
“Thanks, might just take you up on that.” Rainbow smiled as she looked at Rathkran, her eyes fixing on the badge on his armor. (Rainbow Dash Religion check 3) She didn’t recognize the symbol but considering where he was from, she could easily make an assumption as the group walked to the door. “Your god?” she asked him, eyeing the badge.
Rathkran looked and touched the shield with what looked like reverence. “Yes. Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon; god of justice. Kings are crowned in his name so I am here to bear holy witness as King Evendur names his successor.”
(Sunset Shimmer Religion check 11) Sunset was a bit less convinced as she looked back at the knight as they reached the foyer. “Forgive my presumption – and my bluntness – but how does a white Dragonborn get to be a high-ranking cleric of the god of metallic dragons?”
Rathkran stopped and scowled at Sunset, snorting a cold vapor from his nose at her. “You presume that simply because I am chromatic, my heart is as cold as my breath?” he asked judgmentally.
“I- I promise I didn’t mean any offense; I was just curious,” Sunset assured quickly.
“I believe there’s a Draconic expression for this sort of situation; ‘judge a wyrm not by their scales but by their heart’. Isn’t that right?” Day asked with a greasy smirk.
“You’re paraphrasing a bit, but yes; that’s the gist of it.” Rathkran nodded, turning back to Sunset. “And to answer your… presumption… I attained my status the same way any follower of Bahamut would: through honorable actions and noble deeds to the people.” His eyes narrowed at the sorceress. “You have a darkness within your heart. From dark deeds past. You and your wizard.”
Sunset’s eyes narrowed as she looked up at the white lizard, Twilight feeling a bit nervous herself. “We’ve both made up for that; our friends have forgiven us.” she insisted.
“But have you forgiven yourselves?” Rathkran asked simply as he walked onward behind Paela.
“Wow. You know someone’s argument is deep when you’re still confused after hearing it.” Pinkie smiled.
Sunset sighed in embarrassment as she held her coronet. “And now a priest thinks I’m racist. Great.”
Applejack just rolled her eyes. “Let’s just get a move on with why we’re here.”
“Indeed. Grand ballroom first, I think.” Quarian nodded, leading the group through the same door as the holy people. The grand ballroom was just as the girls anticipated of a castle like this; high ceilings, several levels of walkways on the sides – the lowest of which was connected to a grand staircase – a few buffet tables of fancy hors d’oeuvres, and a large crowd of well-dressed nobles and guards in half-plate around the perimeter.
“So, who should we be aware of?” Rarity asked Quarian simply.
“Well, let me see,” Quarian noted as he looked around the room. (Quarian Amakiir Perception roll 21) First, he pointed to the older human with a scruffy, white-flecked beard, and ornate blue robes speaking to Rathkran. “Ah. Over there is Planeseer Wymar Brightwood of the Grand Mages Assembly; youngest in recent history to attain the rank.”
“Somehow I doubt that’s saying much,” Rainbow remarked, her eyes clearly locked onto the silver in the Planeseer’s beard.
“Well, no wizard ever becomes truly great before they get a bit of gray.” Quarian smiled as he continued looking around, his eyes first locking onto a few elven delegations speaking to each other in the back – one in ornate yet sleek black robes, another in green silk with almost antler-like branches on his shoulders. “And over there we have Grand Chancellor Leshanna Ostoroth of the High Elf nation of Olnthalas, and… oh, how about that? Chieftain Enialis Sylvaranth of the Ilverany Tribe from Selran Serine; a Wood Elf nation in the Valhead Woods far to the west.”
“I suppose that means it’s rare to see any of them here.” Rarity assumed.
“Indeed; wood elves scarcely enjoy the cities – find the walls impermanent and confining,” Quarian confirmed. “I suppose your friend here can verify that.”
Fluttershy tried hard not to make eye contact, but she knew he was right; even before she was pulled into this world with the others and became a wood elf, she hated the cities and preferred the sanctity of nature, mostly because she was so shy. Either way, Quarian kept looking around the room and his eyes fixed on a well-dressed dwarf with a thick red beard speaking to Paela as they approached the party. “And I see there… Ah, Morgran Holderhek, owner of a grand Mithril mine in the southern dwarven hold of Ber Baduhr, not to mention one counted among the finest smiths in all Emacula, renowned even in dwarven circles.”
“Ach well, such a compliment is rare from an elf.” Morgran smiled as he tromped up to Quarian.
“I assure you Lord Holderhek, my master is not what you may refer to as the typical elf.” Day assured.
“Indeed. As a matter of fact, I happen to be a close personal friend of your lord King Thoradin.” Quarian agreed.
“Is that right?” Morgran remarked, seemingly surprised.
“Why so surprised?” asked Rainbow.
“The king of Ber Baduhr is remarkably unsocial, even amongst his own kin,” Day explained.
“So you may understand, milord, why I find it doubtful at best that he would call a high elf friend,” Morgran noted.
Quarian simply smiled and reached into his pocket. “Were I not a friend of his, my dear Lord Holderhek, then why would I hold this?” From his pocket, he retrieved a simple silvery-blue ring, ornately carved and inlaid with deep blue gems.
Morgran’s eyes went somewhat wide at the sight of the ring as Quarian slipped it onto his finger. “Well… it appears I owe you an apology, master elf,” he remarked. “My king has ne’er spoken of you.”
“Well, it has been many a year since we’ve spoken.” Quarian smiled as he admired the ring before he pointed back at the girls. “I was just showing my guests here around the crowd. Perhaps you could help?”
“Well, I suppose I may as well.” Morgran nodded as he looked around the room. (Morgran Holderhek Perception check 15) He saw a few humans in various styles of dress – one in a tabard, one in an almost Oriental dress, and two in Middle Eastern robes and smiled. “Aye, I see over there… Duke Donaghy of Achtia, the land of the horse lords. And yonder, Princess Qiao Tan of the Oskua Empire. There, Senator Stedd Evenwood of the Republic of Grailes, then Prince Qusay Fezim and his vizir Nephis Uuthrakt of Adrus and…” He stopped as his eyes fixed on a pale-skinned couple near the grand staircase. “Hmm. Those two I do not know.”
“Nor do I,” Quarian noted. “Curious. They certainly don’t have the bearing of locals.” He glanced back at the girls. “I don’t suppose you know them then, do you?”
(Applejack Insight check 8) Applejack narrowed her eyes as she looked at the two; aside from their pale skin, they appeared fairly typical – a bit old-fashioned going by their dress, but they seemed average. But even so… “Never seen ‘em before, but Ah ain’t exactly fond of ‘em.” Applejack shrugged.
“Neither am I.” Sunset shrugged, glancing over at Quarian. “What about the royal family?”
“Oh, it’s their preference to appear last at functions such as this.” Quarian smiled. “Evendur enjoys the drama of it.”
“Speaking of, here comes their herald.” Day smiled as he looked at the door at the top of the grand staircase, where a human with pale skin like withered leather stepped forward. “Ladies, Grand Duke Lucilius Anthon.”
“Nice guy,” Sunset remarked sourly.
“Presenting Their Majesties; King Evendur and Queen Ilanis, sovereigns of Bagnon,” Anthon announced before he stepped aside, the regal king and queen marching down the stairs – Evendur looked like a wise and kind king though Ilanis looked a fair deal grimmer as she scanned the crowd. Behind them came two young human children; one girl with raven-black hair like her father’s who looked about the girls’ age, and a boy a few years younger than her with dark gold hair.
“And that would be Malcer and Kethra, I imagine.” Rarity noted as she looked at the kids.
“Quite rightly.” Quarian nodded. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I must speak to my cousin.” With that in mind, he smiled and walked toward the queen.
“We’d better find somewhere quiet to come up with a game plan,” Spike whispered to Twilight.
“Agreed. Come on.” Sunset nodded and led the girls out of the banquet hall into what looked like a lavish guest room.
“So what are we to do now?” asked Rarity.
“We search the castle,” Sunset instructed. “Try to find any sign of the blade or poison I saw in the wagon the other day or any word of anyone here who might want to kill the king – the guests, the castle staff, anyone. But for the love of everything, be discreet.”
“Why are you looking at me when you say that?” asked Rainbow.
“You know why.” Sunset insisted – everyone knew Rainbow wasn’t exactly subtle when it came to finding secrets from people.
“Ugh. One time, that happened.” Rainbow insisted.
“One time was more than enough, I assure you.” Rarity pointed out. “I suggest we split up.”
“What? No. No, you never split the party.” Twilight insisted. “That’s like the first rule of Dungeons and Dragons.”
“Twilight, this castle is huge. There’s no way we’ll be able to search the whole place as a group.” Sunset insisted. “And if we do all look around as a group, the guards will think we’re up to something.”
“Then, um… shouldn’t we tell them? The guards, I mean. They could help us.” Fluttershy suggested.
As if on cue, the door to this room opened and Fluttershy squeaked in fear before the girls saw it was one of the guards, who looked as surprised to see them as they were to see him. “What are you doing in here?” he asked, moving his spear to the ready.
“We’re Lord Amakiir’s guests,” Sunset said quickly. “We just… needed some privacy. To discuss our plans when we’re done in the city.” (Sunset Shimmer Deception roll 17 vs. Guard Insight roll 13)
The guard appeared maybe a trifle suspicious but lowered his spear anyway. “Very well,” he said. “I’ll be having a word with Lord Amakiir; see if he can confirm you’re here on his authority.” He stepped away and the girls all breathed a sigh of relief.
“Okay, maybe we should talk to the guards, just to make sure something like that doesn’t happen again.” Rainbow agreed.
(Pinkie Pie Insight roll 17) Pinkie suddenly froze as she realized something. “Uh, girls? I just had a really bad thought.” Everyone looked at her. “What if Quarian is plotting the assassination?”
That gave the whole group pause for thought. (Full Party Insight roll – Sunset Shimmer rolls 19, Twilight Sparkle rolls 15, Spike rolls Nat 1, Rarity rolls 15, Fluttershy rolls 11, Applejack rolls 11, Rainbow Dash rolls 3)
“No way; he agreed to get us in so we could stop it.” Rainbow pointed out.
“As a cover.” Rarity realized. “He could very easily deny knowing us, and say we are the assassins.”
“And who would the king believe? Him or a bunch of girls who only blew into town two days ago?” Twilight agreed.
“If y’all are right, then this here would be a good place not to be when that guard comes back,” Applejack noted.
“Agreed.” Sunset nodded. “Split up and search the castle. I’ll try my hardest to warn the royal family but be subtle about your moves.” She looked at Rainbow again when she said that.
“Okay, I get it; I’m bad at being discreet!” she shouted in return.
“Obviously.” Rarity remarked sarcastically as she rubbed her ringing ears.
“Let’s just go.” Sunset shook her head in annoyance as she peeked out the door, looking around carefully. (Sunset Shimmer Perception roll Nat 20) She couldn’t see any guards nearby and it sounded like there was a dance going on in the great hall as music and cheers echoed through the hall. “All clear. Everyone, search a different wing of the castle for anything. And I mean anything; one of us is bound to come up with something. Meet up in the garden in an hour to compare notes.”
Quickly the team spread out with Spike splitting away from Twilight and skittering away as Fluttershy shifted into a tabby cat with her gear mystically merging with her new body (Fluttershy Wild Shapes into Cat), slinking away down the hall.
D8 Roll – 1: Sunset Shimmer
Sunset slipped into the great hall and climbed quickly to the second terrace level as she watched down at the dance, (Sunset Shimmer Stealth roll 14), doing what she could not to be conspicuous as she kept a particularly close watch on Quarian, as well as the nobles he’d introduced them to. Carefully, she scanned the room for any signs of foul play (Sunset Shimmer Perception roll Dirty 20) and was rewarded almost immediately; as a song ended and the dancers applauded the band before another song started, Sunset looked and saw Day speaking with Prince Malcer at one of the tables.
Curiously, she slipped down the stairs next to them doing her best to both blend in and listen to what they were saying. (Sunset Shimmer Stealth roll 17 and Perception roll 18 vs. Dayereth Liadon Passive Perception 10 and Prince Malcer Passive Perception 10) She simply pretended to be getting something to eat as she quietly listened to them at the end of the table. “I must say, Your Highness, I would hardly have expected such an audacious act from you,” Day remarked quietly.
“Well, one can hardly blame me. I love my sister, but she drives me mad sometimes.” Malcer pointed out.
“Hardly one worth entrusting with the future of Bagnon.” Day smiled his greasy smile at the prince.
“I never said that.” Malcer countered. “Kethra is strong, but she finds the day-to-day duties of running a kingdom to be tedious. She’d make a strong queen, but a neglectful one.”
“Better suited to a battlefield than a council room then.” Day smiled.
“She’d certainly be fond of that possibility.” Malcer nodded. “Fighting in glory for her country, making Father proud with her prowess with a spear.”
“Mm. A pity she cannot do so.” Day shrugged.
“You speak as if she will not be allowed to do as she wishes,” Malcer remarked.
“Well, I know your mother disapproved of it before she died.” Day shrugged.
Sunset felt more and more suspicious as she listened to this, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the guard from earlier talking to Quarian. Quickly, she sought a way out of possible arrest (Sunset Shimmer Perception roll Dirty 20) and found it when she saw the king and queen stepping off the dance floor toward the stairs.
Seeing her chance, she quickly and quietly slipped through the crowd toward them. (Sunset Shimmer Stealth roll 14) Only a few people noticed her strange movements, Evendur himself among them. “Can I help you, madam?” he asked in curiosity.
“All due respect, Your Majesty, but I think I’m here to help you,” Sunset said quickly. “I believe I know who may be behind the recent attempts on your life, and he might be about to frame me and my friends for it. Whatever you hear, I urge you to consider it carefully.” (Sunset Shimmer Persuasion roll [at Dis.] 23 or 12 vs. King Evendur Insight roll 15) That was all she could say before she saw Quarian smirking about something as the guard left his side. Quickly she moved toward the gardens, hopeful the king would listen to her, despite how outlandish things seemed.
D8 Roll – 4: Twilight Sparkle
Twilight meanwhile had found herself in the castle library – almost predictably – as she searched for any manner of hidden area that might conceal secrets. (Twilight Sparkle Investigation roll Nat 20) It took some time and no small amount of difficult searching, but she did eventually find a book containing what looked like the lineage of the royal family, and a list of rules for the line of succession. It was complicated, but she figured it out. “Okay, let’s see… so if an heir is too young to assume the throne upon being named, then in the event of the king’s death, until the heir came of age, the throne of Bagnon would be stewarded by… the Grand Duke.”
Quite reasonably, this provoked some concern in Twilight; she hated to judge based solely on looks, but from what she’d seen, Grand Duke Lucilius Anthon didn’t seem like the type anyone in Bagnon would want ruling over them. And what made it worse was that she saw the steward of the throne could assume total power and even declare themselves ruler if the rest of the royal family died or went missing, including the heir. “Oh no. I’ve gotta warn the king.” Quickly she grabbed a quill and a piece of paper from nearby, scribbling down what she’d read before she ran from the library, accessing her telepathic link with Spike. “Spike, I think I know who’s behind the assassination.”
D8 Roll – 5: Spike
(Spike Investigation roll 12) “So do I.” Spike returned over the link, his reptilian eyes focused on the jagged cleaver under the bed in the guard captain’s chamber, wrapped in ratty blankets – he’d only gone in there to try and find evidence that the guards were up to something, and he bit off more than he could chew. “The captain of the guard has a pretty ugly-looking sword. I’ll tell you about it in the garden.”
Quickly he skittered up the wall toward the window… just as the door opened and the captain of the guard stepped in, surprised at the sight of the pseudodragon in his room. “Oi. How’d you get in here?” he asked.
Spike froze in fear for a second but quickly hissed ferally, quickly leaping out the window and gliding away.
D8 Roll – 8: Rainbow Dash
Rainbow was glad to see Spike flitting from the window as she made her way out of the castle to the castle guard’s training grounds, (Rainbow Dash Stealth roll 16) especially since her passage here was only a little bit difficult – she only had to dodge one or two of the guards. She wasn’t sure what she would find out in the fields, but if nothing else, she was glad for the quiet: (Rainbow Dash Perception roll 18) Aside from the muted noise of the banquet in the castle, the city was dead silent… but she also heard loud but faint almost tribal drumming on the wind.
Curious, she looked around but couldn’t see where it was coming from… until she looked toward where it was coming from: beyond the city’s northern wall. “Hmm… Better get some altitude.” Another thing she was glad about – deciding to wear her winged boots under her dress. Quickly, she clicked her heels and the wings sprung to life, letting her take flight and fly up the side of the castle, quickly reaching the apex of the castle’s tallest tower as she looked north.
Straining her eyes, she looked north beyond the walls to follow the sound of the drumbeats to their source (Rainbow Dash Perception roll [Dis. due to distance] 12 or 17), and even through the dark and distance, she could very clearly see the light of fires burning high beyond the wall. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was burning them. “The orcs…” she whispered to herself, remembering well how the group had heard of an orc tribe outside town. And from the sound of their drumming, it almost sounded like they were getting ready for some sort of attack. (Rainbow Dash Insight roll 18) Rainbow knew that if the girls’ suspicion was right, they would probably attack after midnight… when the king was dead and the city was vulnerable. “Gotta warn the others.” With that in mind, she dropped from the spire of the tower, soaring down toward the courtyard on her boots’ wings.
(Rainbow Dash Passive Perception 9) As she flew down, she saw something out of the corner of her eye – a guard on the ramparts who appeared somewhat suspicious of her actions. Quickly deciding it was in her best interest to warn the city guards now, she soared over to him and landed next to him. “Talk to your general or whoever; get them to send reinforcements to the northern gate,” she ordered quickly as she marched toward the door back into the castle itself. “The orcs outside are making a move.”
“Here, where do you think you’re goin’?” the guard asked.
“Just do it before the whole city falls.” Rainbow insisted quickly, flinging the door open and storming down the stairs, hopeful the guards would listen to her.
D8 Roll – 2: Pinkie Pie
Pinkie, as usual, was overdoing it in terms of stealth, somehow wearing some sort of sheer black outfit she’d pulled from nowhere as she snuck through the halls, searching the royal family’s chambers. (Pinkie Pie Stealth Roll [Adv. due to Assassin’s Outfit] 14 or Nat 20) As if by virtue of her stealthy suit or just her own sheer defiance of physics, Pinkie remained completely undetected as she searched the royal family’s chambers.
(Pinkie Pie Investigation roll 15) It wasn’t until she reached the queen’s dressing room that she found something interesting: a small green leather diary. Normally Pinkie wasn’t one to pry into people’s private things, but seeing as this was quite literally a matter of life and death, she clearly saw she didn’t have much of a choice, so she shrugged. “Mm. Might be nice reading,” she said to herself as she quickly plopped down in front of the vanity and moved to open the diary, which she only now noticed was locked. “Hm…” Quickly she searched the vanity (Pinkie Pie Investigation roll Nat 1), but despite looking in completely impossible places in completely impossible ways, she couldn’t find the key… though she did find a few hairpins.
“Eh. Always wanted to try this anyway,” she shrugged and tried to pick the lock with the hairpins. (Pinkie Pie Dexterity roll Dirty 20 – DC 14) It was surprisingly easy and once the lock was open, she gently opened the diary and read one of the later entries, more than thankful it was written in Common as opposed to the Elvish of the earlier ones. “My time with Evendur has yielded a great benefit to my family. Not only has it allowed Quarian – in all his eccentricity – to make a home here in Bagnon. I’m sure he finds this most agreeable; the rumors of druid ruins in the hills outside town should be enough to sate his curiosity for a while. My only true dislike about my new role as queen – aside from the obvious of feeling like naught more than a stand-in for his first wife Queen Fayanna – is that my new stepchildren, the prince and princess, are not overly fond of me. I dare say I can hardly blame them – after all, though they may only be human, I feel they can sense I am keeping secrets from them.”
Pinkie grew nervous as she read this; she may not have known what secrets the queen was referring to, but she wasn’t sure they were the kind that would be approved of by the people. Another entry revealed that her extensive research into alchemy was yielding results, which worried her further and made her perhaps think that maybe she had been the one to make the poison and simply arranged for it to appear to be smuggled into the city to throw suspicion off her.
Quickly deciding this was enough information for now, she locked the diary with the hairpins again and snuck away (Pinkie Pie Stealth roll [Adv. due to Assassin’s Outfit] 8 or Nat 20), once again completely undetected.
D8 Roll – 7: Fluttershy
Fluttershy knew her Wild Shape would only last an hour but that would be more than enough for her as she slunk into the castle kitchen. She only hoped the cooks wouldn’t think too much of a cat wandering around as she slunk into the kitchen (Fluttershy Stealth roll 21). Fortunately, her hope was rewarded as no one so much as batted an eye at the cream-colored cat wandering around the floor, probably only assuming she was after scraps or something.
But what she was truly after was secrets… which she very quickly found when she saw a guard walk into the kitchen, a crooked smile on his face as he approached one of the cooks. He said something to him in Elvish, which Fluttershy was more than glad she understood, even as a cat. “Nha oshtal aniq?” he said. (“Is everything ready?”)
“Avavaen, moralle.” the cook replied likewise in Elvish. “Aufe siilen lakoure nha Tel’ meleto.” (“Yes, sir. All that remains is the poison.”)
Fluttershy was worried when she heard that and moreso when she saw the guard reach into his chainmail and retrieve a vial of black liquid that glimmered silver in the light. Fluttershy easily recognized it from Sunset’s description as the Midnight Tears that had been smuggled into town.
Worry and fear at the forefront of her mind, Fluttershy wanted to use her magic to cleanse the poison before it touched the king’s food, but she knew she couldn’t cast a single spell while Wild Shaped, so her best option was to make a firm note of the poisoned dish – a fine-looking steak with greens and mashed potatoes on a gold-rimmed plate, over which the poison was sprinkled and faded into as if it was never there.
Having noted it, she scampered off into a nearby closet and reverted to her elven form (Fluttershy drops Wild Shape) before making her way toward the garden.
D8 Roll – 6: Rarity
Rarity had made her way to a hallway of ornate guest chambers and found one door unlocked. “Hello, what have we here?” she smiled to herself. (Rarity Perception roll 19 and Stealth roll 18) Quickly she looked around the hallway and saw no one nearby so she cautiously slipped into the room, beginning to search. (Rarity Investigation roll 21) The clothes in the wardrobe were dark and gothic, there were few mirrors in sight and a single small, framed portrait on the nightstand… which held the image of the pale couple from the grand hall. “Hmm… well, we were curious about this couple.” Rarity rationalized as she looked around further, and found a small diary bound in cracked leather on the vanity with a dark face wrought in dark iron on the cover.
She may not have been able to use magic yet, but she knew darkness when she saw it, and this book seemed to radiate it. Carefully she opened it and saw a name inscribed on the inside front cover: Lord Ulfred Shadowmend. “Hm. A nice name.” Rarity shrugged, but as she flipped through the book, she found it written in a language she didn’t recognize – an ornate yet jagged and nearly incomprehensible script with dark pictographs on the pages. (Rarity Arcana roll 14) She didn’t know what to make of this book, but she knew it was not something anyone in the realm would benefit from… especially not the king.
Quickly she found a few pieces of paper and scribbled down as much as she could before she slunk from the room, praying not to be found (Rarity Stealth roll 14). She was more than fortunate to make it from Shadowmend’s room undetected, but only a few short paces down the hall left her running right into Duke Donaghy. “What are you doing here, my lord?” she asked.
“Just retrieving something from my chamber,” he replied, intrigued by Rarity’s presence here. “What are you doing here?”
“Ah. Um… I was looking for the gardens, but I seem to have gotten lost.” Rarity said quickly.
(Rarity Deception roll 16 vs. Duke Donaghy Insight roll 13) Donaghy appeared somewhat doubtful of this excuse but shrugged and pointed down the hall. “It’s just down that way.”
“Ah. Thanks very much.” Rarity smiled and walked simply away, almost gliding in her large dress… all the while praying to high heaven that the duke didn’t accuse her of anything.
D8 Roll – 3: Applejack
Applejack had made her way to the stables not far from the main door, where the guests’ horses and carriages were tied. (Applejack Stealth roll 16) She counted herself fortunate that the stables were lightly guarded as she searched the saddlebags of every horse and compartments of every carriage. “C’mon, there’s gotta be somethin’,” she muttered as she searched. (Applejack Investigation roll 18) She didn’t find much until she reached the wagon of the pale couple and found a hidden compartment… which contained a few strange vials; some full of thick red liquid and some empty.
Cautiously curious, she opened one of the full vials and took a sniff of the contents, noting a distinctly coppery, iron-like smell. (Applejack Survival roll 12) Even Applejack wasn’t dumb enough to mistake this solution for anything other than what it truly was; “Blood.” she whispered. And judging by just how many blood vials there were, she had a feeling one or maybe even both of the pale people this carriage belonged to… were vampires.
Quickly she put the vial back where she found it and left the courtyard, (Applejack Stealth roll 14) once again grateful for the lack of guards as she snuck her way through the palace to the garden.
The castle’s grand gardens were most impressive with great topiaries and hedges lined with all manner of flowers. And now, after an hour of searching, it was the meeting place of the Warriors of Harmony as they all gathered. “Okay, report time. Who’s first?” Sunset asked.
“The orcs are about to try something. I saw them rallying beyond the walls.” Rainbow reported. “I warned the guards about their movements, but my guess is they may attack after midnight when the king is dead.”
“I did what I could to warn the king, but I think Quarian may have given us up,” Sunset added, glancing around cautiously just to make sure he wasn’t about to attack. “Still, the king knows someone may be about to attack him tonight.”
“And I doubt he’s the only target,” Twilight noted, showing the girls the notes she’d taken in the library. “The laws of Bagnon say that if the royal family dies, the Grand Duke is given stewardship and absolute power over the kingdom.”
“I think the captain of the guard might be in on it too.” Spike agreed. “I saw a pretty gruesome sword under his bed. Looked like an orc weapon.”
“The captain isn’t the only guard in on this plot.” Fluttershy agreed. “I saw another guard giving one of the cooks the Midnight Tears. The king’s food is already poisoned.”
“It gets worse than that,” Pinkie reported, now garbed in her dress again as if she’d never changed. “I found one of the queen’s diaries and it says she’s keeping secrets. I mean, I’m not normally one to read someone’s diary – a lady’s gotta have her secrets – but one of them says she’s practicing alchemy. She might’ve been the one to make the poison.”
“For her son, no doubt.” Sunset scowled. “I overheard Prince Malcer talking to Day, and from the sounds of things, Princess Kethra might be a target too.”
“I believe I’ve found something far worse.” Rarity reported. “That pale couple from the banquet hall? Their name is Shadowmend; the man is Lord Ulfred and I believe he may be engaged in some manner of black magic. I found one of his own journals and the notes give me goosebumps.” She showed the group the notes she’d copied from the man’s journal.
“Yeah, that tracks. Ah checked their carriage; found a few vials of blood.” Applejack reported. “Ah think they’re vampires.”
Hearing all this, Twilight was suddenly more than confused. “First Quarian, then the royal family itself and their guards, and now vampires? Is the whole world in on this assassination plot?”
“No. Just you.” The girls were suddenly surprised when they saw Quarian behind them, along with the captain of the guard and a great number of soldiers. “Guards, seize these assassins.”
“What?! No! No, we’re not the assassins!” Sunset insisted, but to no avail; the guards acted without question and clapped her and all the other girls in irons, locking Spike in a small cage before they were dragged into the castle, away to no doubt face a kangaroo court of treachery from their former host.