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[Silcugar]

EQUESTRIA, CLAN HALL RING CHAMBER

The clan ring seems impressed with your speech. A few of them nod, while the others whisper among themselves. Clover the Clever, though, stays neutral as ever.

"Next is Autumn Switch of the Swift Dogs. We have chosen you for your versatility, keen insight, and loyalty. Your primary potential sponsors are Magister Regal Silver, Master Farmer Smart Cookie, and myself."

The orange mare steps forward with confidence. "Thank you, honourable Chieftess of Equestria. I come forward today, determined and humbled, intent on being chosen by you wise ring members. But why should you choose me, of all these impressive prospectives?

"Not only are my exam scores near perfect, and not only are my trials record-breaking, I come forward with something these other prospectives can not match. An unerring, unstoppable drive to learn.

"Are pioneers not only warriors and explorers, but also scholars? They must be, for their main goal is to learn about the creatures they meet and the creatures they kill, the empires they aid and the cults they target. Pioneers must be observant above all else. They must yearn for that forbidden knowledge just on the horizon. Not only to survive, but to bring home the knowledge they were meant to retrieve. They are the eyes, the ears, and the hooves of the ring. They must have the motivation, the drive, to learn and advance Equestria.

"A pioneer could be strong, yes, but does that mean they know how to apply this strength? A pioneer could be skilled, but does that mean they know how to take advantage of these skills? A pioneer could be smart, but does that mean they know how to see the world in the right light?

"You can have the strongest, smartest, most skilled prospectives, but without the right motive, they can all be lead astray. I give you my motive, pure and simple: To learn, and to advance my knowledge. And everything I observe, everything I learn, is sent back to you.

"My motivation is unmatched. I will become a pioneer. And when I do? I'll personally see to it that your knowledge, and my own, is advanced to the greatest of heights. Thank you." With that, the unicorn steps back into the line. The ring mutters among themselves, some unsure of what to make of this speech.

"Next is Mead Mix of Equestria. We have chosen you for your glib, your specialized training in the arts of espionage, and your extensive knowledge of alchemy. Your primary potential sponsors are Tipped Scales, Master Farmer Smart Cookie, and Master Interna Rosy Tint."

The tan and orange earth pony jumps forward dramatically. "Gee, thanks! I'm so excited to be here! I mean, with all these great ponies and griffons and minotaurs and zebras around, who'da thunk I'd be here?! Anyways, I think I'd be great as a pioneer! I mean, I know how to see threats and eliminate them! I mean, I guess Sam could do that too, and Sasha. But all I need is a little bit of poison, and I'm set!

"That also means I can take care of mean ponies, too. Like, say, some upstart king or rebellious vassal. Just one invitation to a dinner party and zip, zop, zoop! Dead! But I don't always have to kill them. Sometimes a joke or two will set them straight. I'm pretty good at figuring out a pony's sense of humour. You'd be surprised to see what a difference that makes!

"Back in the guild, they called me Two-Faced Mel. Isn't that awesome? I mean, it's such a good name. I can befriend a pony, and get him to tell me all about his plots. Then, BAM! Oubliette city! Pretty crazy, right?

"Anyways, yeah! I can do all that stuff for you. Pretty cool, right?" With that, the earth pony hops back into the line, a smile on his face.

Half of the ring looked dumbstruck by the speech, as if completely unaware of Mel's special set of skills. Tipped Scales just chuckles to himself.

"Finally, Basayan of the Extra-farlands. You have been chosen for your extraordinary and alien set of skills and knowledge, and your logical outlook. Your primary potential sponsors are Master Interna Rosy Tint, Judge Stalwart Mind, and Master Negotiator Pale Seer."

[Rolepgeek]

Basayen steps forward, voluminous robes enshrouding much of his body. He shrugs off the hood and looks at the Circle. "I will attempt to be brief. Some of you know of what my kind and myself are capable of . Some of you do not. My people have a magic unlike your unicorns' magic. While yours is quite swift, short-tempered((*short-term*)), and may be done at a whim, ours is slow, more permanent, and, if I am honest, more powerful. You have pegasi who assist you with weather and the changing of seasons; we have great towers of magic and geires. You have unicorns trained to use their skills in battle, each a foreboding((*formidable*)) soldier. We have meusher capable of obfuscating((*obliterating*)) armies once their circles are built. Such is our magic." He looked at the ponies watching him, seeing the disbelief on several faces, primarily unicorn. "If you wish a demonstration, you need only to ask. I am one of the swifter mages of my schooling, and such is part of why I was the leader of our expedition, one very similar to your Pioneers. But as for my other reasons. I have been here for a credible((*?*)) amount of time, enough that I believe I know of the common people of your culture, at least as much as I will learn unless I were to fully immerse myself or obtain life stories of your people. I have seen the tribes surrounding yours, and seen the criminals, and I believe I know of the dregs and lowest people of your culture. I wish to see your best, now. The experienced, the templars((*examplars*)) of Equenta. For this purpose, it is best I go with this band, and observe them as much as I do that which I find.
"I will not lie to you; I am not simply your agent, to do with as you wish. However I have seen fit, and indeed, my Emperor has seen fit, to surrender my services to your command for the time being, to establish relations with your for my people. My motivations are thrice-fold; the first, to document the pheromones((*phenomena*)), flora, and fauna of the lands in these region of the world. The second, to build trust between ourselves so as to allow for slick((*smooth*)) negotiations when the bulk of diplomats have arrived from my lands. The third, to understand and witness your culture and members of said. That is why I present my skills.
"I have an excellent memory, verging on the diabetic((*eidetic*)), skill in a variety of sciences and alchemical processes, high marks in the magical training of my people, and I believe that in a fight I have a more than half chance of defeating the Griffon currently in attendance, were we both unarmed, aware of the other, and she was disallowed to fly, for my people practice a form of fighting technique I have seen little of here. My skills would be best suited in the field rather than going over once more what I have discussed with the Master Negotiator and Master Interna, or debated with the Judge. I have pages of notes concerning things I have seen in my initial travels, a sizable proportion((*part*)) of which I have seen in the lands here, which in turn will almost certainly extend to those places you wish the Pioneers to explore. Of those here, it is likely crucial that I accompany this band, to adopt((*foster*)) relations between our countries in addition to aiding your own efforts at exploration."

Especially impressive, or perhaps disturbing, at least to those paying attention, would be that during this speech, the zebra did not move anything but his face. Nothing else in his body appeared, at least, so much as to quiver. Then he shuffled backwards, hood raising once more, to stand with the others. After waiting for questions, of course.

[LordBucket]

Aurora
Aurora looks around.

"If nopony else is going to ask, I'd be curious to see that demonstration you're offering."

[uod]

After Borak presented himself, Flame Flipper expected others to continue but Laywing and Sirara seem hesitant to present themselves. In this foreign environment, it is probably harder to take the initiative. Flame smiled as good as he could and presented himself:" I am Flame Flipper, pioneer from Equestria." He tried to be as brief as possible.

[Silcugar]

EQUESTRIA, CLAN HALL RING CHAMBER

The griffon scoffs at your boasts, while the ring members murmur to themselves for a few moments before addressing Basayen.

"We have seen your skills and talents, and we are impressed. However, there is a question of loyalty that needs to be addressed once more."

"We don't need agents, we need pioneers. That means you must be absolutely loyal to this ring, and the ideals of Equestria. Know this: honour is important here, and we must know if you are an honourable being."

"I'll ask once again, and once finally, so that there may be no confusion as to your allegiance. Do you swear to obey this ring and uphold our ideals, to follow the tenants of the pioneer, and to be loyal absolutely?" As with all other foreigners, you are again made to swear your fealty. As a zebra, you are especially pressured to maintain loyalty, and swear it consistently. The griffon and minotaur did not have to swear their loyalty. At least, not at this meeting. But the talk of foreign emperors always seems to stir up doubt. Hopefully, this will be the last time you are made to swear this oath.

[LordBucket]

Aurora

"I'll ask once again, and once finally, so that there may be no confusion as to your allegiance. Do you
swear to obey this ring and uphold our ideals, to follow the tenants of the pioneer, and to be loyal absolutely?"
As with all other foreigners, you are again made to swear your fealty.

Aurora's head tilts slightly and she raises an eyebrow.

[Patrick Hunt]

Sam bouncing on his feet again smiles happily.

" Kay. " (( Means yes. ))

[Rolepgeek]

"For the length of which I am capable of doing so, and am not directed to act in a hostile manner against my homeland and Emperor, I will obey this ring and uphold your ideals, follow the tenants of the pioneer, and be loyal absolutely."

[Silcugar]

EQUESTRIA, CLAN HALL RING CHAMBER

"Very well..." Clover the Clever says. "We have heard your arguments, prospectives. It is time for us to choose who will become full fledged pioneers."

The scribe from before steps up to the group and motions for them to follow. "Please, come with me. You will return to the waiting hall while the ring deliberates." With that, the group returns, once again, to the waiting room.

Autumn Switch is the first to break the silence. "It looks like we all have something unique to bring to the ring! Isn't this exciting?" the mare says with enthusiasm.

"Yes, it is! And I know a way to make it even more exciting!" Mel says as he stabs a dagger hard enough into the floor for it to stand on its own. The lad's stronger than he looks. "How about a friendly wager? The pony, or other, that is chosen first gets the pot."

"To start off this fun little game, I offer this dagger. It's pretty special. The cool thing is that it's enchanted! Even cooler, the effect is random every time! Like, it can secrete poison, or it can give the user telepathy. I got it a while back when I went on a mission to the east. Crazy ponies out there!"

"That does sound... 'fun'. Here, I'll wager this," the griffon says as she tosses down a few marbles. "Swallowing one lets you fly for about an hour. Obviously useless to me."

"This doesn't seem... Is this against the rules?"

"Hm? It's only a wager. The ring doesn't even have to find out!"

"I... No. I do not think I will take part."

"Well that's boring. How about you three?" he says, looking to the three other prospectives eagerly.

[Patrick Hunt]

Sam goes and sits in the corner and yawns in boredom.

[LordBucket]

Aurora

"To start off this fun little game, I offer this dagger. It's pretty special. The cool thing is that it's enchanted! Even cooler, the effect is random every time! Like, it can secrete poison, or it can give the user telepathy. I got it a while back when I went on a mission to the east. Crazy ponies out there!"

Aurora looks distastefully at the hole he's just made in the floor.

"Is it safe? Random effects sounds potentially dangerous to me. I wouldn't want to draw a weapon and have it strike the ground I was standing on with lightning. Or leech energy from me. Or summon a dragon. Lots of ways that could go wrong."

Aurora examines the enchantment. From a safe distance.

[Rolepgeek]

The zebra watches the interactions for a second, then shrugs and digs through his pockets. "I don't see why it would be undissuadable to tell the ring. I would think it would be a poverty decision to not tell them, as they will likely find out anyway." He takes a few steps forward, then pulls out a strange circular amulet. It is quite intricate, made from a dull silvery metal with inlaid thin lines of a much brighter material. It seems strangely geometric on the rear side, at odds with the rest of the design, as though it was meant to fit into something. The foreign pony sets it so that the loop hangs from the knife's hand-guard. "That is a warden I created to assist in my travels; if I am not chosen, I will not need it. If I am, I could forever make another, however long it may take. It defends the wearer from bad weather, particularly extremely high heat, though it would be of little value in a snowstorm. It also provides additional ease of movement should one be underwater." He stepped back, resettling the mass of kahrak-dyed robes around himself.

[LordBucket]

Aurora

EDIT:
Aurora magically examines the assorted items in the pot.

[Silcugar]

EQUESTRIA, CLAN HALL RING CHAMBER

"Well, the dagger isn't going to, like, kill you! Duh! Why would I put that up as my stake? I mean, I'm a rogue, but I'm no con artist! Er, well, not in this case, anyways."

"Okay, what I mean is, the dagger hasn't done anything bad to me so far! Sometimes useless things, or inconvenient things, but never dangerous to the user," the stallion assures.

Aurora casts an identification spell on the stakes.

The dagger is highly entropic. That is, it draws a lot of its power from foreign, chaotic magics. Chaotic, but stable. It actually doesn't seem all that powerful, from a raw energy point of view. But this type of magic is, of course, unpredictable and not very well understood.

The marbles are pretty simple, enchantment wise. A weak fly spell is bound to them, activated on consumption. However, something must be noted about them. Fly spells are typically very complex, and require continuous casting. Few unicorns can both control themselves in the air and continually cast the spell at the same time. That's why, most of the time, unicorns cast the spell on other ponies, and let them handle the controls. But this limits the usefulness of the spell drastically. Only a very skilled unicorn can both maintain the spell and confer partial control of it to its target. And even when they can, the range is limited. As such, skilled unicorns focus their efforts on more meaningful spells. So, the fact that this fly spell is 'weak' can mean one of two things. Either the spell is crap, lasting maybe a few minutes, if that, or the spell is streamlined to allow limited flight until a specific amount of energy is expended.

The amulet is something else entirely. It exudes a different kind of power. A very jagged yet precise type of magic that you've never sensed before. The magic doesn't ebb and flow as unicorn magic does. It 'ticks' as a clock does, as it radiates energy in specific, predictable patterns.

[Silcugar]

EQUESTRIA, CLAN HALL

Mel collects the stakes. After about a half hour of waiting, the scribe returns.

"The ring has made their decision. Follow me." That was a short deliberation...

EQUESTRIA, CLAN HALL RING CHAMBER

All of the prospectives take their places in front of the ring.

"Each of you is uniquely qualified to become a true asset to the ring. However, we can only select three of you. The rest must wait for the next choosing to occur."

"Our first choice is Sasha of the Tibe Mountains, sponsored by Commander Hurricane." With that, Endless Hurricane gets up from her seat and approaches the mercenary.

"You showed your true colours when you saved my mares, griffon. Don't make me regret my decision." She hands the griffon a sigil, and returns to her seat.

"Yes, sir," Sasha says with an unusual amount of seriousness.

"Our second choice is Basayen of Extra-farlands, sponsored by Pale Seer." The unicorn in question gets up from his seat and approaches the zebra.

"I don't trust you to follow orders. I trust you to do what you do best." he says enigmatically as he levitates a sigil over to Basayen.

"Our third choice is a tie between Aurora Dawn of Glistens and Autumn Switch of the Swift Dogs." She lets the prospectives murmur a bit to themselves before continuing. "Both are excellent candidates, and since a decision cannot be made between the two of them, we have decided we will enact the ancient unicorn rite of a Magic Duel. For those unfamiliar, a Magic Duel is a contest of skill between unicorns. Both participants try to achieve a goal, typically the submission of the opponent or the favour of a judge, armed with only the few materials they need to make full use of their spells. It is a contest of endurance, ingenuity, and knowledge. This will be a Battle Duel, which means duelists must attack each other through magical means. We will have three scholars from the university join us as judges."

"If either of you wish to refuse the duel, do so now. The other will be chosen as pioneer."

"I accept the terms, and look forward to the duel." Autumn says without pause.

NUMBRA, LORD XAVUS' MANOR

"I am... Sirara of the North River," Sirara says simply. Laywing says her introductions as well.

"I accept you into my home, foreigners. Let us eat, and forge an understanding of one another." the lord says. The servants then begin to distribute the food. The meals presented are very... spartan in appearance. they are not embellished with garnish, or colourful and vibrant. Even the fruits are dull. The pioneers soon find out that they taste much better than they look.

After a few moments of silent eating, Esse asks a question. "What do you foreigners make of my husband's city? Is it much like your own? Perhaps a bit more advanced than you're used to?"