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Character of the Season
Once known as the Butcher of Whitebrim, he's now The Butcher of Dygra, stepping forward as the first created demigod of the Ancients. There is no question that Astaroth casts an intimidating silhouette. Tall, domineering and dangerous, if looks could kill you'd be dead already, but to get up close and personal with the Grounds' resident cannibal tells a much different story. Dripping with charm and clad in only the finest attire, Asta is a gentleman monster, as polite as they come and committed to his role as security for the Dusklight and those who have earned his loyalty. Be careful of that smile, though - those teeth are sharp.
Congratulations, Asta!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
OG Skinning provided by Kaons, with functionality and many custom plugins made by Neowulf!
I roll the dice and I hold my breath I'll give you all that I have left So hold me now before my luck runs out I think you're close but I have my doubts
With letters dispatched and seeds secured in a pouch for later, Colt tackles the newest day with no delay for Rae's trials. Especially since in short order he'll be heading back to King's End, so she wants the work to be able to proceed unhindered even in her absence.
She stands at the edge of their tent city, gaze pinching into the thick, dangerous jungle that she's declaring their future home. It's hung heavy in shadow, the sun still climbing up the sky, but it's the best shot at a full day they'll get. Her wig-hair is braided into pigtails that rest over her shoulders, because while it's not hot yet, she knows the leftover chill of the evening is only a feint for the afternoon's severity. Her gaze drops back to the pack of supplies she's stuffing an extra skin of water into, alongside some provisions and fire-starting supplies, a challenge given the wetness of the jungle. Beneath the pack, a bedroll is secured, thicker than one might think is needed for a desert, but the nights are cold this time of year, enough so that it feels like Deepfrost has returned.
Shifting it onto her back, along with her quiver and arrows, Colt nods. "Alright, Noe. Ready?" She glances to the side at the engineer, holding her gaze for a moment before picking up a knife and a notebook. "A smaller scouting operation like this will ensure we can cover the most ground quickly and have the least impact on the natural flow of the area. Remember, we're observing the flora and the fauna to ensure we don't cause undue disruption. I expect the Teih Maa will be out of the question, so let's start with the outskirts that border the abrupt change to the Furance."
RQ requirement: A thread of at least 2 Hakians surveying the Suvahasi to find out where the addition of a new species will have the least impact
You've got me in this trance And I need your hand to win If I have to leave this up to chance You're a gamble and I'm all in
Received a Gilded Market wig from Remi that resembles her usual hair and is enchanted to stay on better than most wigs | has a reverse centaur tattoo on her left hand with the legs going down her pointer and middle fingers that looks like this.
When Noe had received an invitation to join Colt on this scouting expedition, she'd leapt at the opportunity. It was a far cry from her usual area of expertise, it was true, but surveying the area would give her a wonderful idea of the landscape she'd be working with, which could only serve her well when it came to designing buildings and town layouts and such. She'd met Colt this morning with her own pack of supplies, complete with a thick bedroll, first aid supplies, fresh water, non-perishable food, and a few other items she'd thought might be helpful.
"You got it, boss," she chirped as Colt gave instructions, shooting a smile towards the marshal. "Get in and out quick, without leaving a mark." Noe tugged a map out of her pack, unfolding it and shifting closer to Colt so that the Sharpshot could view it with her should she choose. "I figure we can try and mark areas to avoid or areas to consider on this." She was no cartographer, but it was better than nothing.
The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Noe.
I roll the dice and I hold my breath I'll give you all that I have left So hold me now before my luck runs out I think you're close but I have my doubts
Noe's bright energy is a welcome one, and Colt can't help but soften at the edges a bit as the engineer takes it all in stride with a willingness like a sponge to water. She isn't afraid to admit what she doesn't know, but she's just as willing to go out on a limb and give it shot, if that's what'd be best in place of finding someone who does know.
"I bet you and Wren would get along," she tells her as an idle aside, thinking of the young, displaced girl with a certain fondness. "Have you met yet?" They're very different people, but their spirits both burn with a certain tenacity that suggests a likeness, as it does in everyone who has come here to settle, she notes.
Nodding as Noe summarizes it cleanly and offers her own idea, Colt leans in to look at the offered map. "That's smart," she agrees, "and I have some colored fabric we can stake in the ground or tie off on areas to visibly mark our determined place. Just for those with less skill reading maps to the finer detail." She has found in past construction projects things that read perfect on paper don't always translate so neatly to the actual world.
"Alright, let's head out," she calls, turning to hike with Noe into the Suvahasi, keeping to the thinner edges and walking north in the arc of it. "I'm sure Kaisel filled you in on that...thing we fought up here, yeah? I'm definitely hoping we don't run into anything more like that living around here. I'm more worried about preserving the dream cacti." She considers for a moment, then sighs. "And I guess the tangleweeds and preying orchids are important to consider. Has to be a healthy balance, and we definitely don't want to settle anywhere near where they congregate."
You've got me in this trance And I need your hand to win If I have to leave this up to chance You're a gamble and I'm all in
Received a Gilded Market wig from Remi that resembles her usual hair and is enchanted to stay on better than most wigs | has a reverse centaur tattoo on her left hand with the legs going down her pointer and middle fingers that looks like this.
As Noe approached and Colt commented on someone named Wren, the engineer tilted her head thoughtfully to one side. "I don't think so. Not yet, anyway." She was certain they would, though, in time - it was a small region, made smaller by the scant space they could inhabit. If she hadn't run into someone by now, it was only a matter of time.
Tucking her map into an easily accessible pocket of her bag, Noe hoisted the pack into place on her back and nodded, falling into step beside Colt as they entered the edge of the jungle. In places, she fell back to allow the marshal to take the lead, but all in all she tried to stay alongside to make conversation easier. "Yeah, I heard about that," she said, frowning slightly. "I've never heard of such. D'you think it was, like, a one-time thing?" If there was a touch of nerves in her voice, she hoped it didn't show - she just wasn't prepared for a dangerous encounter, not yet. Not without the throwing stars she was working on procuring.
In any case, she pondered the question of the flora and fauna native to the area. "I bet it's important to keep them all in balance, like you said. I mean, I'm not an expert, but doesn't everything have its role to play? Even if you're mostly worried about the dream cacti, who's to say that letting the tangleweeds and preying orchids die off or whatever wouldn't negatively impact the cacti in the long run?"
The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Noe.
bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones.
You've encountered the OG random event! This allows you to skip one levelling requirement with the character in this thread. (Unfortunately does not count for characters over level 10, how sad.)
I roll the dice and I hold my breath I'll give you all that I have left So hold me now before my luck runs out I think you're close but I have my doubts
Colt has never found fear to be a regrettable thing. It keeps you alive, more often than not, sharpening you to the world and protecting you, so long as you know how to carry it alongside you rather than get swept beneath it and consumed. Generally, Colt can manage it just fine, and though she hears it add a waver to Noe's voice, she rather thinks the engineer can too from all she's seen, and how the woman keeps walking with her now. There might come a time when Noe starts slipping under, and Colt hopes she'll find the strength to tread against that tide, or that she'll be in arm's reach to grab hold of her and help her out of it. She knows what that sinking feels like too, because she has only learned to carry her fear in certain settings. Others, she's still doing her best not to drown.
"Don't know," she admits, ducking beneath a wet bough and the vines that trail from it. She points to the bright flowers higher up, the color a warning sign—the toxic ones, and this time of year, burdened with pollen. "Careful," Colt interjects, preferring to be overly cautious than assume Noe knows what to look out for. Colt has begun to travel this jungle often enough to grow more and more familiar, which brings a risk of complacency that she tries to fight off with continued wariness of the ramplant dangers. "I reckon there's much life waiting to be discovered still in this region. Not sure anyone's ever done a thorough cataloguing, given how inhospitable it's been. Makes the risk of knowledge and adventure not worth it to most, or takes the ultimate price from those who'd been willing." She continues the thought about the strange nightmare they'd seen, pausing to cock her head as a sound calls out from deeper within the Suvahasi.
"Hmm...almost sounds like a Shangyang's cry." She muses for a moment, ticking back and forth through her knowledge, its depths growing with every passing season spent here. Still, it's not enough, and she can't be sure. "Mark on the map for here that one might be around. We definitely don't want to intrude on their territory." The birds are useful, despite the poor omens, and she expects they hunt enough of the smaller nuisances to be worth keeping around for that reason too. She'd like to stay near one, if possible, but not enough to disturb its nesting or roosting areas.
A blue strip of fabric is tied to one of the branches before she moves on, stepping around a fallen and rotting pile of plants. "Exactly," she agrees to Noe's understanding of their situation. "Rae made a point to say we should evolve to exist with this region, especially if it's designed to keep things out. That means we can't just ruin things as we like simply because it suits us. We have to find the pocket we can fit into and fill in the balance here." She shrugs a little. "Some things will get upset. It'll have a ripple. Ripples happen all the time with or without us though." A lifetime spent managing the land her herds grazed on, letting the ground rest and recover, keeping the wild things out and her stock in, and putting up with a certain amount of losses with that process, it's equipped her to understand the push and the pull of living wild. "Not to say we can't protect ourselves, or ensure we have what we need, but we shouldn't be greedy or unnecessarily cruel. Everything exists to fill a role." Nature is actually adept at avoiding waste, and to some extent, whatever can't learn to coexist with them either will have to adapt, because they're here to stay.
You've got me in this trance And I need your hand to win If I have to leave this up to chance You're a gamble and I'm all in
Received a Gilded Market wig from Remi that resembles her usual hair and is enchanted to stay on better than most wigs | has a reverse centaur tattoo on her left hand with the legs going down her pointer and middle fingers that looks like this.
