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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!
they should have checked the ashes of the women they burned alive
Melita had suddenly become very busy and responsible and she wasn’t certain she liked it. On the one hand, information was powerful, and she needed to ensure others knew what was going on. On the other hand, fuckin’ hell.
Regardless, the Honeybee would be a steadfast and loyal demigod to her herald, and forge onward. Whether anything, everything, or nothing was connected to the forefront of intermingling denizens, shifty dreams, and jungle exploits would remain to be seen – but she was certainly going to strive forward and see what could be done.
Ignoring the muddle of confusion in her brain, as it had rarely needed to think and plot in such ways, she’d dropped Iskra off at the skyport and shoved all those feelings down for later. On a side quest, she then ambled her way to shops and snagged at things she figured Ronin would like (Halovian whiskey) before finally making her way to the greenhouse.
Shoving her bag higher on her shoulder, she entered the threshold and was immediately greeted by the bewildering contrast. Humid and hot, she started to peel off layers, spying the coatrack near the door for the exact occasion. Thereafter though, her jaw dropped, having never been this way in all her exploits, and finding it an impeccable thing in the middle of nowhere and all this damned snow.
Recalling her actual mission, she glided through a series of well-kept plant life and vivid trees, whispering to others nearby gathering berries, and once they pointed her in the right direction, towards a cluster of bushes bearing fruit, she recognized the individual she’d purposefully come to see. But only because of dodgeball.
Clearing her throat, she put her hands behind her back and strived to look as innocent as possible, which…probably didn’t work. “Hey there – sorry to interrupt. You’re Amhran, right?”
because it takes a single wild ember to bring a whole wildfire to life
If it helps, Melita, Amhran is not accustomed to responsibility unless it comes from under Deimos's guidance, so this will be a rotten wake-up call for him as well. As the demigoddess marvels at Halo's greenhouse and makes her inevitable way towards him though, he contents himself in obliviousness for the time being. Busy collecting berries from the bushes bearing fruit and transferring them into neat little pallets to be carefully wrapped and moved out of the greenhouse later, Amhran is the picture of a man at home in the dirt as he works.
The sound of her voice has him glancing up from his place on his knees, pants scuffed with soil with dark crescents under his fingernails too as he lifts a hand to swipe a lock of hair out of his face. "Oh, hallo," he says readily as his eyes land on the vibrant young woman. "It's no bother - the fruit isn't going anywhere. I am, yes. And you're..." His brows furrow for a second, trying to do her justice because it isn't as though she's unknown.
"Melita," he announces at last, hoping he's correct. "Ludo's chosen. Right?"
they should have checked the ashes of the women they burned alive
Melita could remember being oblivious. Gods, it was nice. And unfortunately, she had to wreck his. He seemed awfully young and peaceful, tranquil; in the serenity of his surroundings. The demigod had enough trepidation within her to slip the slightest grimace behind her smile, a long sigh unfurling at his very calm, poised, and dignified meandering through plant life. Nodding at the recognition of her existence, her grin tightened. “I am. I led the dodgeball game here for a bit – well, until Vesper and Iskra started punching each other.” At which she rolled her eyes, even if it was half in affection.
Nonetheless, she edged her way forward, fingers idly going towards some berry bushes, eyes surveying the enormous plethora of blackberries laden there. “That’s kinda sorta what I’m here about. Ludo has disappeared. Mort spoke to me about it.” Heaving another long breath and trying to quantify everything into simpler matters, she snagged at one fruit and avoided the thorns. “Were you at the Peepholes, when there were the glowing lights and weird dreams?” That would make explaining some portions much easier. Though, if not, Melita was prepared to be a little long-winded.
because it takes a single wild ember to bring a whole wildfire to life
The reminder of the dodgeball game brings an easy smile to Amhran's lips, the Raeling rising to his feet from his knees and brushing the dirt from his pants. "That's right," he says through a laugh, "I remember now. We should play again one day - I feel like I would be better than I was last time." He's more savvy about the world now at the very least, and his skill at snowball throwing has vastly improved which feels like it ought to translate into dodgeball.
"Have some if you like," he says, gesturing to the blackberry bushes, "there are more than enough." Unfortunately it doesn't seem as though Mel has come to see him to reminisce and enjoy the fruits of the greenhouse, and Amhran's eyes widen a fraction to hear of a herald going missing. "I'm sorry to hear that," he says, the apology falling easy and immediate from his tongue.
He's about to ask if there's anything he can do when she brings up the Peepholes, and he gives an immediate nod. "I was, yeah," he says. "I fell asleep, and there was this strange bone antler... thing? But before I could figure out what it was, I woke back up."
It hits you out of nowhere - a sudden wave of exhaustion dragging at your limbs and making it difficult to keep your eyes open. You suppress a yawn and consider, briefly, sitting down somewhere for a quick cat-nap. How strange - perhaps you haven’t been sleeping as well as you could. Maybe something to take note of when your head hits the pillow this evening.
Please note: this serendipity CANNOT be used for levelling purposes.
they should have checked the ashes of the women they burned alive
Very kind and very tall, her head went upwards, following his movements as he stood back up from the soil. “We absolutely should,” she agreed, making that another mental note amongst the myriad of others to accomplish. At his gesture towards the blackberries, she glanced back down at them, plucking a few within her palm and avoiding the thorns. “Thanks.”
As for the other things, while she munched and swallowed, the details of other related matters came further into light. Already content he knew what she’d been blathering on about in a moment, she took another long breath, swiping another round of berries before continuing on. “Yeah. I had a bizarre dream there too – I’m sure it was the same strange bone antler thing we all saw. I’m wondering if it’s connected with Ludo’s disappearance. Safrin said Ludo’s probably in the jungle, and mentioned the DreamWalker.” Though it’d been slain some years before – but Melita didn’t put anything past Caido. “I guess there was an incident in the desert too, had the same sort of weird shit going on.” Her nose wrinkled a little, and she maintained her stance while she wanted to crawl out of her skin. “I was wondering if you’d be able to ask Rae about the thing in the Peepholes.” Of creations, of things swiftly moving into place, of wayward constructions that might be toiling close to heralds.
Then, of course, there came the sudden fatigue. Not unlike what they’d both experienced in the Oerwoud, her eyes drifted shut while she stood upright, as if she could quite possibly fall asleep standing there – and within half a moment later, she snapped to attention, eyes wide, senses bothered. “Sorry-,” she apologized, uncertain what for save for the yearning of slumber.
because it takes a single wild ember to bring a whole wildfire to life
"Let me know if you want to host it here in Halo or somewhere else. I feel like the snow adds an extra difficulty to dodgeball," Amhran says, chuckling. Snowball fights not so much - slipping on ice is merely a hazard of the game - but dodgeball has the potential to be less unfair on the buttcheeks. As Melita helps herself to some blackberries the Raeling gathers the full boxes, moving them out of the direct sunlight so they can be packaged up a little later on.
Whilst the strangeness of their impromptu sleepiness in the Oerwoud is familiar for Amhran - something that still lingers, as they will both soon demonstrate - he's not familiar with the DreamWalker at all, brows furrowing together. "I see," he says; and lucky for the Honeybee, he's not yet familiar enough with the weight of responsibility to see his part in this as anything other than helpful.
"Of course I can," he agrees immediately, nodding. "Shall I send a letter to you with my findings? And is there anything more I should know about the creature for when I go to Rae?" Peepholes, DreamWalker, missing Ludo - he thinks he can handle that much.
But then both he and Mel are caught unawares by the sudden haze of sleepiness, the Raeling swaying and having to catch himself as unconsciousness threatens. "Mm, no. I'm sorry too. Maybe a nap for both of us soon, hm?"
they should have checked the ashes of the women they burned alive
“Sure,” she winked, uncertain if she should make it amongst traditional things or simply let the chaos take hold. Maybe one day they’d have dodgeball in sand or jungles, in water or isles, increasing the difficulty for the mayhem of it all.
Waiting for some answer corresponding to ‘no’ or ‘why should I’, because there were certain individuals who would unfurl in such regards, her eyes widened slightly when his response was easygoing, forthright, and willing. Striving hard not to stammer at the immediate acceptance, she nodded enthusiastically, smile turning into a sunlit beam of warmth and ebullience, instead of her usual mulish gaze. “That would be great – thank you so much!” Tapping on her chin in regards to the DreamWalker, she wished she had more information for him. “I don’t think so – I guess all the ones who fought it are gone now.”
That he took the sudden drowsiness as easily as the rest had her grin dimming; because she’d experienced it too many times now to leave it one of those by chance notations. It loomed in the back of her mind like a threat; wondering if she needed to be checked out by medics for narcolepsy or if there was something more scratching at their souls. "Gods, a nap does sound good," she agreed instead of making the situation worse. "I'll leave you be then - thank you again!" And at the very least, she could parse through acts of kindness and support as she waved and disappeared into the midst of snow – rather than always mulling over the catastrophes building around them.
[FIN]
because it takes a single wild ember to bring a whole wildfire to life
