From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
As Koa channels again and Frey appears, the productivity of the beavers nearly double. They work quickly, felling trees and moving them aside, and, with Lena 's help, wood is moved into the water so that construction can properly begin. Without any idea of the urgency of the task, the creatures move as efficiently as you might expect, with some plodding into the river itself to hold branches into place while others dive down below the surface to push mud into the spaces between the sticks and logs.
Maea and Pip will find that fire does indeed burn away much of the vegetation and flora on the banks, but given how much is already in the water or flowing from upstream, one might wonder if it's an effective solution to this particular problem.
You have 5 ROUNDS to stop the void from reaching the ocean. It has taken over almost all of the Sallow Swamp, and is now working intelligently toward polluting the water so that its spread will reach the sea.
Well thank all that's high and holy this worked, because Koa is out of relevant abilities or items ideas. Though Frey's apparent distaste is unsettling, the Dragoon is going to call this a win - after all, the small troupe of beavers has increased to a full contingent, their organized construction a sight to behold. Once more Koa grips Lena's shoulder, squeezing excitedly and flashing her a grin before going to help in whatever ways he can, even if it seems like the beavers really do got this. He figures he can best increase efficiency by dragging felled trees and branches, putting his (albeit diminished) strength to use hauling wood so the beavers don't have to.
Pip, meanwhile, is very happy lighting fires, and blissfully unaware of the ineffective nature of her firebreak. Aware of her imposing appearance as a fearsome predator (aka damp, muddy, fuzzy pool noodle), she will keep her distance from the industrious beavers, instead continuing to burn a line through the void flora, so it hopefully cannot move further down stream and re-infect the water thus.
Koa tries to help the beavers by hauling wood/putting it in place.
Pip focuses her useless firebreak efforts downstream from the beavers, to prevent re-infection of the water past the dam.
Now that the group was working together, Zavien felt encouraged to renew his efforts with vigorous enthusiasm. He sped along the bank of the river, unsure what other actions could possibly prevent the Void infection from reaching the ocean. Despite his smiles and positive remarks to the other members, Zavien could feel his hope slipping away. What were the four of them supposed to do? Even with the help of all the creatures, a demigod, and a literal GOD, it felt that the spread was inevitable. At this point, it seemed they should turn their energy towards crisis management and prepare for their heroic attempts to fail.
Zavien gritted his teeth and gave a frustrated - slightly hysterical - chuckle. The dam seemed like a logical choice, but he had little hope that it would fully stop the water and the pressure would eventually cause the water to either choose another route or break through the dam. Overall, it was a bandaid on a festering, gushing wound. The only way to truly stop the water from connecting with the sea would be to reverse the flow, change the course back inland, or completely dry up the river. None of which level 0 Zavien had any power to impact.
Realizing the futility of his actions at their current location, he considered the other facts about their situation. He found it strange that the water was already an oily purple even though the creatures had begun to steer clear of them. Maybe it was possible something further up the river was polluting it?
He gave a shout to the others before turning away from the furiously working beavers (and humans). "I'm going to look for other sources of infection!" Determination and panic fueled his speed as Zavien sprinted up the waterway, pulling anything suspicious from the water in a last-ditch attempt to lessen the Void heading down stream. His sword stood at the ready, hacking down Void creatures and flora before separating them as much as he could from the bank.
Zavien is trying to clear more Void sources from farther upstream to lessen the pollution traveling down.
Even if it was a lost cause, Lena had faced those before. Stared down the brink of futility and still coursed on. Perhaps there was a learning point in all of that, but the Caretaker would rather have tried and failed, then never bothered, quit, or gave in.
So even if time was running out, she persisted. Even if their efforts would somehow, probably, be in vain, she continued.
You’re doing so well! she encouraged the beavers, because they were, and she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to let them know about their hard work and perseverance. From there, she and Mittens would continue carrying on, striving to assist with timber, mud, and whatever else the animals needed. She nodded at the rest of their crew, for they’d strived, and maybe that would count for something.
--
Lena and Mittens continue to assist the beavers in moving timber and mud as needed.
It really was an overwhelming task that she was ill equipped to handle. Lena's beavers were doing incredible work and the dragon and its bonded were working hard, as was the nameless man who went upstream to scout. Maea just feared it was too little and far too late. Her own flames really didn't accomplish much either; it was a preventative measure but not a solution to the actual problem.
Giving up her efforts to burn away the problem, she went to help Koa move logs instead. Dragging brush and shift lumber at least let her take the frustration out on something tangible, while quietly cursing her powerlessness in times like these - when power was what really mattered.
Maea joins Koa in helping to build the dam.
Light is easy to love Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Cue the shaky star, streaking across a sky with the words you tried.
Had quicksand not interfered, perhaps your dam might have been built sooner. Or, perhaps swamp gas would have been ignited and the whole thing might have gone to shit even faster. We might never know, and so in our ignorance let us just be thankful for the efforts you were able to manage and the effect they had.
With beavers called by Lena and Frey, the river is slowly stopped. The banks are likely to burst and the water will flood the surrounding areas, but at least it isn't moving so swiftly toward the sea. Alas, a good portion of it already has despite efforts to burn away the infection or remove pollutants from the water.
~FIN
AND YOU'RE ALL FREE.
You have 5 ROUNDS to stop the void from reaching the ocean. It has taken over almost all of the Sallow Swamp, and is now working intelligently toward polluting the water so that its spread will reach the sea.
