MLP: Perquisition is Magic (Mission 0)

@banjo2E
@RuBoo
@Spymodio

((OOC: Important words, phrases, etc. will be in bold. Check the bottom of each post to see an Explorer's Journal that keeps you up to date on happenings.))

Graph Paper was starting to get worried. The disappearances were getting more and more frequent. Ponies were avoiding the Greenwood Forest and his town, affecting trade drastically. Something needed to be done, and soon. A sharp crack jolted him out of his reverie - the door to the Explorer's Guild had just been slammed open as a motley crew of ponies entered through the door. There were five of them, led by an orange pegasus with a fiery orange mane and a cutie mark depicting a mushroom cloud. Behind him was his partner, a blue earth pony holding a pencil in her mouth, and a trio of younger ponies - one earth, one pegasus, and one unicorn. The Guildmaster beamed as the group entered. "Blaze!" he called out jovially. "I trust the mission went well?"

The white pegasus nodded. "Of course, Master! You'd expect anything less from the best explorer this side of Ever City?" he asked, then, without bothering to wait for an answer, continued. "The Apprentices performed fabulously! I'd say they'll be ready for their graduation mission any day now." He shot a wink at the three ponies behind his partner, whose ears had perked up at this proclamation. The three - Kitsune, Cogs a-Turning, and Lucky Star, were Greenwood's newest recruits, and were under the tutelage of the Explorer-Mentor Morning "Glory Blaze" Glory, and his partner Quill Scribble. The trio had been under an intense training regimen since they'd arrived in the backwater town, but they'd held up remarkably well. However, it was unheard of for ponies so green behind the ears to face a test mission to graduate to full-fledged explorers so early in their career.

"Excellent!" Graph boomed. "I have the perfect mission for the three of you. Blaze, Quill, you're dismissed." The two older ponies snapped a salute, then left to the commons room in the back of the hall. Graph returned his attention to the rookies. "Now, you're all still relatively new recruits, but you've performed so well on your test missions I believe you're ready for a solo assignment. If the three of you complete this mission without the help of a senior member, you'll rank up to Explorers. Your assignment is simple: A few miles out of town, just past the cemetery, lies Scroll Manor. The mansion belonged to the Scroll Family, but their only surviving member, a unicorn named Papyrus Scroll, mysteriously vanished many years ago. Three months ago, a trade caravan stopped by the manor for the night on the way to Greenwood. In the morning, all but one of the ponies, whom had been standing guard a ways away, had vanished. The incident has repeated itself with varying numbers of survivors again four times over the past months, and the rumors that the town and manor are cursed or haunted are driving away trade. We want you three to get to the bottom of this. Understand?"

((OOC: Welcome to MLP: Perquisition is Magic! You've been offered a mission! Mission 0: What Goes Bump in the Night You take on the role of explorers at the Greenwood Guild, and take on quests for money and fame. You've been under the guidance of a mentor until now, so you'll have to decide among yourselves who the leader of your team will be, then you can either hit the shops or go straight ut to the manor. Have fun!))

Explorer's Journal:
Current Mission: Mission 0
Completed Missions: -
Team Leader: ???
Team: Kitsune, Lucky Star, Cogs a-Turning

Glossary:
Greenwood Forest: A large forest with a town at its center.
Ever City: The capital of pony civilization and where the Explorer's Guild HQ is.
Explorer's Guild: An organization dedicated to mapping the world and helping ponies in need. You work for the Greenwood branch.
Apprentice: The lowest Explorer rank. Must be accompanied by an Explorer-Mentor at all times on missions.
*Graduation Mission: A mission that treats Apprentices as if they were full Explorers. Should they pass, they will rank up.
Explorer: The second rank of Explorer. Explorer teams operate in groups of two or more.
Explorer-Mentor: The third rank of Explorer. these are authorized for solo missions and can take Apprentices onto their teams.
Guildmaster: The most prestigious Explorer rank. These run their own branches of the Explorer's Guild.
Graph Paper: The wise and kindly Guildmaster for Greenwood City. Cartographer Profession.
Morning Glory: A boisterous white pegasus who hates his girly name. He goes by Glory Blaze, and is the Explorer Mentor you worked under up until now. Bodyguard Profession.
Quill Scribble: Blaze's equally rowdy partner. Cartographer Profession.
Kitsune: A quiet unicorn rookie under Blaze. Cartographer Profession.
Lucky Star: An oxymoronic pacifist bodyguard apprentice with a tendency to space out. Bodyguard Profession.
Cogs a-Turning: Inventive Earth pony apprentice with a prosthetic leg. Explorer Profession.
Scroll Manor: Supposedly haunted manor in Greenwood Forest.
Scroll Family: Xenophobic and eccentric family of unicorn scholars

"Yep, yep! We'll do our best! ^^"

((I won't be able to link my character sheet in my signature for another eight posts yet. Hope you don't mind.))

((No worries!))

Cogs had stayed quite for the most part, but inside was squeeing like a young fanfilly. The team were going on their first mission!

"Hmph, whatever..." Kitsune said emotionlessly, though with the faintest hint of a smirk.

As the three ponies talk amongst themselves about the prospect of a mission without Blaze keeping them under control, Kitsune's saddlebags light up with a green glow. While non-explorers may have been startled by an eerie light suddenly appearing in their pack, these three were by now used to the experimental dragon-fire based communication method that had been instated in a few randomly chosen guilds for field testing. Removing a thick journal from his bag, Kitsune's horn glows and the book opens to the end, where a previously pristine page was now covered in scribbly mouthwriting.

Dungeoneering 101
Team Leadership

Alright, before you rocket off to the mission site, you'll need to choose a team leader. It may sound awful fancy, but it's hard work. Trust me, I am one! Normally it's the highest ranked team member by default, but you three joined up together and you all have equal explorer points, so you'll have to work it out yoursleves. I'd give a recommendation, but you'd all do great - Lucky's infinite optimism, good old Cogs is inventive equuinified, and Kitsune keeps a nice level head in tight fixes. The leader gets the final say on loot distribution, the deciding vote on what to do when you reach a fork or an odd mechanism that could open a door or spray you full of arrows, and all that good stuff, but he's also gotta prevent the team from getting themselves killed and most likely to lose points should something go catastrophically wrong. Choose well!

--Glory Blaze

Explorer's Journal:
Current Mission: Mission 0
Completed Missions: -
Team Leader: ???
Team: Kitsune, Lucky Star, Cogs a-Turning

Dungeoneering 101:
*Dungeoneering 101
Team Leadership

Alright, before you rocket off to the mission site, you'll need to choose a team leader. It may sound awful fancy, but it's hard work. Trust me, I am one! Normally it's the highest ranked team member by default, but you three joined up together and you all have equal explorer points, so you'll have to work it out yoursleves. I'd give a recommendation, but you'd all do great - Lucky's infinite optimism, good old Cogs is inventive equuinified, and Kitsune keeps a nice level head in tight fixes. The leader gets the final say on loot distribution, the deciding vote on what to do when you reach a fork or an odd mechanism that could open a door or spray you full of arrows, and all that good stuff, but he's also gotta prevent the team from getting themselves killed and most likely to lose points should something go catastrophically wrong. Choose well!

--Glory Blaze

Glossary:
Greenwood Forest: A large forest with a town at its center.
Ever City: The capital of pony civilization and where the Explorer's Guild HQ is.
Explorer's Guild: An organization dedicated to mapping the world and helping ponies in need. You work for the Greenwood branch.
Apprentice: The lowest Explorer rank. Must be accompanied by an Explorer-Mentor at all times on missions.
*Graduation Mission: A mission that treats Apprentices as if they were full Explorers. Should they pass, they will rank up.
Explorer: The second rank of Explorer. Explorer teams operate in groups of two or more. Requires 100 points and a Graduation Mission to achieve.
Explorer-Mentor: The third rank of Explorer. these are authorized for solo missions and can take Apprentices onto their teams. Requires 1,000 points to achieve.
Guildmaster: The most prestigious Explorer rank. These run their own branches of the Explorer's Guild. Requires 1,000,000 points to achieve. ((No, this is not intended to be attainable in the game))
Team Leader: Pony in charge of keeping the team together, gets the deciding vote in debates
Explorer Points: These points are awarded for successful missions and detracted for failures. Accumulating them earns you fame, better gear for sale at shops, and rank-ups.
Loot: Magic stones, bits old gear, and other goodies you find in dungeons.
Graph Paper: The wise and kindly Guildmaster for Greenwood City. Cartographer Profession.
Morning Glory: A boisterous white pegasus who hates his girly name. He goes by Glory Blaze, and is the Explorer Mentor you worked under up until now. Bodyguard Profession.
Quill Scribble: Blaze's equally rowdy partner. Cartographer Profession.
Kitsune: A quiet unicorn rookie under Blaze. Cartographer Profession.
Lucky Star: An oxymoronic pacifist bodyguard apprentice with a tendency to space out. Bodyguard Profession.
Cogs a-Turning: Inventive Earth pony apprentice with a prosthetic leg. Explorer Profession.
Scroll Manor: Supposedly haunted manor in Greenwood Forest.
Scroll Family: Xenophobic and eccentric family of unicorn scholars

((The Explorer's Journal has been updated! The Dungeoneering 101 section has been added! Dungeoneering 101: Lesson 1 has been added to Dungeoneering 101! Team Leader has been added to the Glossary! Explorer points has been added to the Glossary! Loot has been added to the Glossary! Apprentice has been updated in the Glossary! Explorer has been updated in the Glossary! Explorer-Mentor has been updated in the Glossary! Guildmaster has been updated in the Glossary!))

((Yes, Glory Blaze is a blatant self-insert author avatar. But GB, you might ask. Why would you do such a n00bish thing? He also acts as the game's tutorial system! If you come across something new that isn't blatantly self-explaining, a potentially confusing mechanic, or hit a scripted event that calls for one, Blaze will send you a Dungeoneering 101 lesson to add to your Explorer's Journal. Quill Scribble also has a purpose that will be introduced soon enough. For now, fight amongst yourselves about who gets to be leader! xD))

"...Says here we need to choose a team leader." Kitsune said. "I'm not one to take on such responsibility." He showed the page to his teammates. "Which of you two wants to try it?"

I smile, bouncing slightly. "Well, I'm fine with any of us, so I guess it's up to you, Cogs! You want to lead, or should I?"

"It's up to you- I just want to find treasure."

"Hmm..." I close my eyes and bring a hoof to my chin. "...Maybe we could flip a coin?" I pull out a bit. "Heads or tails?"

"I'll take tails."

((Do you guys want me to actually flip a coin, or is one of you going to do it, or...?))

(One would think that the GM would be the coin flipper, being the one who controls chance in-game. Or is someone going to use the good ol' Coin Flip Pokétch app?)

OOC- I think it'd be best the GM did the coin flippery.

((OK, it's heads.))