The Legacy of the Ministry Mares

Wow did they ever screw up. You know who I’m talking about – the Mane 6. When they were separated and tasked to head the individual ministries of Luna’s government, their friendship weakened. And this was no simple friendship – these mares were each embodiments of an element of harmony, after all. When their friendship weakened, it meant the war was only the beginning of the bad times for Equestria.

The logical outcome of the weakening of the bonds between the elements of harmony was, of course, disharmony. So when they did finally drift apart, kept apart by the secrets and lies they spread to protect each other and their desperate individual attempts to win the war, their morality too weakened. They, who gazed too long into the abyss seeking answers and victory, realized too late, if at all, that the abyss gazed right back into them.

Before their eventual downfall and the inescapable end of the world, all of the ministry mares were involved in multiple projects that influenced the setting dramatically. This section does not describe their projects in detail – that’s what the fan fictions that this book is based off of are for. What this section is for is a brief overview of what those projects were and what they produced, and is included almost entirely for use as a reference by GMs.

Below is a listing of the major impacts or advances that each of the ministries made or had on Equestria that remain impactful today, organized by ministry and associated member of the Mane 6. The Statuettes, technically a product of the Ministry of Image, are listed separately below, and any distinctly OIA-related projects are not listed.

Statuettes

Rarity, despite being heavily corrupted by the influence of an infamous Zebra Black Book, was extremely conscious of the gap that had begun to form between her and the other ministry mares. She was the last link between her friends to remain unbroken, and bringing her friends back together became something of an obsession for her towards the end of the war - to the point where she was willing to sacrifice a large part of her soul in order to accomplish this goal.

The Statuettes are the end result of her obsession. Rarity divided her soul into 43 fragments, placing forty two of these fragments inside of one each of these similarly numbered small statues, made in the color of their associated mare. There are seven complete sets, one each given initially to each of her once-close friends, one given to Princess Luna, and one kept for herself. Princess Luna is believed to be the only one who kept all 6 friends together, which all of the others distributing their statuettes to friends as reminders or personal keepsakes. These statuettes are now all that remains of Rarity, who was killed in the fall of Canterlot.

Within each statuette a small piece of Rarity’s soul has been transplanted and transformed into a representation of all that was once harmonious and good within the mare it was carved to represent. When obtained by a character, these statuettes increase one attribute score by a single point, which counts as a permanent increase (rather than a temporary one) while the character possesses the statue, and also (though not immediately known to the players or their characters) grants a bonus towards resisting the mental influence of taint, mind controlling or influencing spells, and dark magic. The attribute corresponding to each mare, as well as the inscription at the base of each statue, is listed below.

Applejack – Strength – “Be Strong”

Pinkie Pie – Perception – “Awareness - it was under E!”

Rarity – Endurance – “Be Unwavering”

Fluttershy – Charisma – “Be Pleasant”

Twilight Sparkle – Intelligence - “Be Smart”

Rainbow Dash – Agility – “Be Awesome!”

When all 6 are united by a single character, grants the quest perk “My Little Ponies”, which gives the character in possession of the statues an additional point of Luck. The power of the statuettes, when united, is enough to ward off the evil influences of other soul jars.

Individually, each of the mares grants a +5 bonus on rolls to resist outside mental influences, and may communicate with the holder through dreams. Together, they grant a +50 bonus to resist mental influences and allow their caretaker a mental resistance roll even if the spell or other outside mental influence would not normally allow one. When a decision is being made that may cause karma loss or gain, the statuettes will try to influence their bearer towards the good karma option.

When in possession of one statuette, a carrier with good karma feels subconsciously compelled to take care of it. A carrier with bad karma feels compelled to commit acts that would garner them good karma, or (if they’re ‘beyond help’) to leave the statue someplace hidden and safe. If the opportunity presents itself, they may also feel compelled to reunite it with other statuettes. GMs may communicate the influence of the statues as they see fit, but it is usually very subtle, such as an internal suggestion towards the character.

Memory Orbs

Memory orbs are spherical, opaque, and slightly luminescent specialized talismans that ponies developed before the war as a way of storing a pony (or zebra, or any other species it seems)’s memories and experiences. They had myriad uses in conjunction with memory extraction and modification spells. Many memory orbs were used by the Ministry of Morale as a means of gleaning information from a prisoner or spy without having to go through a time consuming and potentially messy interrogation, or by the Ministry of Peace to remove memories of psychologically traumatic events in an attempt to treat mental illnesses like WSD. Some memory orbs were even used as audiovisual storage for recording devices such as security cameras or MoM listening and observation talismans.

These multicolored talismans can literally put their user in the shoes of whomever’s memory is stored on them. While in use, the using-character experiences all of the physical sensations that the recorded subject did for the duration, but with no control over the actions that are occurring in the memory. Basically, they’re just along for the ride. The only things not recorded are any thoughts and non-vocalized feelings of the subject. For audiovisual recordings, the viewer of the orb would simply see and hear a specific event, not feel anything.

Memory orbs can be accessed in one of two ways. Unicorns and alicorns can access a memory orb by simply grasping out with their magic. In fact, grasping a memory orb with their magic (telekinetic or otherwise) within 5 feet will automatically cause such characters to enter the orb. The exception to this is if the memory orb is locked; locked memory orbs can only be accessed while the character attempting to grasp it is thinking of a specific subject, usually an event, another pony, or something else close to whoever possessed the orb. Depending on their type, locked memory orbs may give mental feedback to characters who attempt to operate them too many times (dealt as damage to the head or horn), or may even trap the offender’s mind within the orb indefinitely, leaving them a vegetable.

On the other hoof, any character can access a memory orb if they possess a recollector. These exceptionally delicate, black tiara-like devices have a slot for a single memory orb in the front. When assembled and worn on the head, they allow anyone to access the memory inside whatever orb is loaded. Locked memory orbs used in conjunction with a recollector behave exactly as they would for unicorns or alicorns.

When a character uses a memory orb, they are rendered unconscious and catatonic for as long as that memory orb lasts. They cannot move nor do anything else for the duration of the orb, which can range from a few minutes to multiple hours. Their muscles are totally non-responsive, though their body may attempt to respond to some of the more powerful physical sensations within the orb, both good and bad, in ways that may embarrass the orb’s viewer or illicit concern from their compatriots. They continue to breathe, and if necessary may perform other bodily functions that do not require conscious effort (like relieving themselves, if they haven’t recently).

Memory orbs are tricky business, but handled correctly they can add an enormous amount of depth to a campaign as well as serve as an excellent way to reveal the secrets of a character or location’s past to the players.

As GM, when placing a memory orb in a campaign, you should consider three things:

1. How the memory orb was created

2. How it was kept safe (assuming it was kept safe and isn’t damaged)

3. Who in your party can receive it

How the memory orb was created is important because it should be reflected in what information that memory orb contains. If the memory is of a lover’s tryst, it might be from one of the lovers, or it might be a friend who stopped in unexpectedly to find actions in progress. If it’s of a high-ranking ministry official it might be from their perspective or it could be from the perspective of a stealth-cloaked zebra infiltrator who was captured after having witnessed something, like a phone conversation or a meeting. In either of those cases, depending on the location, it could also have been a recording from a device.

How the memory orb was kept safe can also be extremely important to how a character obtains it. Many memory orbs have been kept safe by those who value the memories inside – creatures such as alicorns and ghouls, which have a long lifespan, are often the first to recognize the value of memories from the past. Other orbs (the majority of them) have been spared from the holocaust by having been locked away in cabinets, safes, stables and government vaults, particularly those belonging to the Ministry of Peace or the Ministry of Morale. Some of these are defended by locks, others simply by their nature of being small and easily overlooked.

That being said, memory orbs are quite durable – baring intentional damage or collateral damage from the balefire megaspells, it’s completely feasible for memory orbs to have survived out in the open or in even flimsy crates or containers. Memory orbs frequently hold memories related to the places in which they’re found.

Finally, as a GM you should consider who in your party can actually view the memory within the orb. Without a recollector, only those with unicorn-magic can access the information stored within these talismans. Remember to consider the fact that whoever is watching the orb is effectively out of commission for the duration of the memory! This can definitely make for some dramatic scenes, well-executed kidnappings, flawless ambushes, or even just interesting combat scenarios.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1364