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 Ronin walked by, the alchemist waved a hand through the hunter-turned-king's body, smirking slightly as he did so.
As they reached the bottom, Remi pulled in a breath as Ronin all but waltzed into the underground chamber. Seemingly unharmed as ever, the alchemist relaxed a fraction if only because this part of the plan seemed to be working. Accepting the torch, Remi peered skeptically into the room. "I thought...the fire ignited the gas before?" Remi said unsurely, not meaning to necessarily question Deimos, but finding himself unwilling to venter any farther inside as it was.
Deciding it better to create new stones rather than risk moving the ones currently strewn about, large boulders of earth suddenly appeared, creating a half semi-circle around the door. More than large enough to hide behind, and hopefully it would cover any sort of hasty retreat as well.
Nodding at Amalia's suggestion, Remi placed his torch against the wall. It wasn't as though the light helped him see anyways. Like Amalia, wings feathered around his arms, but another pair sprung from his back as well. It took a moment for him to figure out the balance of beating two separate sets of wings, but eventually, he managed it well enough. Remi tried to funnel the air up into the hole Safrin had made rather than up the stairs.
Remi makes a semi-circle wall around the base of the stairs for protection, then half-shifts to have hawk and manticore wings to move the air about with Amalia.
Remi Taliesin
THE ALCHEMIST
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Unlike the others, this was the first time Ashe had laid eyes on the basement. The entire place was permeated with decay, and her skin crawled as she surveyed the blight. The gaping hole through the spire was some comfort, at least. If she looked up, she could still see the sky. Her heart raced wildly at how far away it was, but it was there.
She was glad for Ronin's astral form, and she tracked his progress as he waded into the gas and the plants, and she nodded with the plan. To ignite the apparently explosive gas and make room for them to move through the plants---easy enough, she thought as she set her torch down as well. She'd lived through more than one explosion, what was one more? She ignored the uneasy knot in her stomach. "Get down fast," she said to Amalia and Remi as their wings emerged, turning them into something new, something fierce and fantastical.
Sparks danced through her fingertips with a sharp snap and hiss, lighting skittering through her blood. Through her gas mask, she watched. She steadied her breathing. She waited, glancing at Remi and Amalia, and...
"Down," she warned, waiting just another few moments for everyone to duck behind the barrier. She ducked back, and a bolt of brilliant blue lightning burst from her hand with an echoing crack!
Ashe waited for Remi and Amalia to do their thing and duck behind the barrier, and sent a bolt of lightning to try and ignite the gas.
this is where the end is written, every battle scar forgiven
howling in the wind, tingle in your skin thunder and the rain as the storm rolls in & destroys it all
08-09-2019, 02:50 PM (This post was last modified: 08-09-2019, 06:30 PM by Odd.)
key quest
Oh ducklings. When will you learn? It is lucky that all but Deimos have put down their torches (or are not capable of carrying them). Luckier still that the big man has remained at the entrance to the stairs. Even so, the stirring of air caused by the winged-members causes enough of a draft that the torch in Deimos hands fits and starts, the fog of poison around it growing black as it pours in through his mask.
The movement of air from Remi and Amalia is both a hit and miss. While it does move the already poisonous air up and away, it stirs up the existing plants such that they release even more! The air grows even more thick and putrid, latching onto their feathers like a blanket.
Ashetta 's lightning is absolutely devastating. Blue fire shoots through the air creating what appears to be sheet lightning rather than a singular bolt. For a moment the plants nearest to her straighten, their stalks suddenly stiff, and their dark petals seem to wither.
Your randomly rolled initiative order is: Ronin, Deimos, Amalia, Remi, Ashe. You have 48 hours to reply. Please include a summary at the bottom of your post.
Ronin could do nothing but watch as his friends and his lover put their lives on the line and made their decisions and commitments. And while that filled him with guilt, it was a blessing in some cases, too. Because he saw it all (as best as possible through the smog, anyway) - he saw the way the plants belched out more putrid gas in response to the efforts of those with wings; he saw the yellow gas turn black as it guttered about the torch Deimos held; he saw the plants stiffen and wither against Ashetta's lightning.
"Hold," he called, raising a hand to Amalia and Remi, "when the plants move they make more poison, and the wingbeats are disturbing them." Not bothering to hurry behind Remi's earthen shield - it was better for him to keep his eyes on this - he glanced to the others.
"Get behind cover and throw the torches - all of them. Ashe, give it your all. Remi, are you able to get at the roots of the plants with your earth magic? Perhaps Deimos could life drain them at the same time...?"
Ronin advises Remi and Amalia to stop using their wings and suggests throwing the torches and diving under cover. He advises Ashe that her lightning is effective, and makes further suggestions about attacking the roots with earth magic and life drain.
On occasion, Deimos could admit to being a slow learner (slowly eroding; quick and sharp when necessary, and other times, incredibly oblivious) – and as the smoke sputtered against him, the poison flickered its way into his mask, stung at his eyes, at his lungs, and he coughed – he had to admit the torches might have been a mistake. He’d wanted fire without a flame mage in sight, paid for it with the crush of toxins pummeling upon him again. But he’d expected it; gnashed his teeth, clenched his jaw, and carried on, settling and maneuvering behind their makeshift shelter.
Bird wings, feathers, and plumes stirred, swept away – until they didn’t, and the power of Ashe’s lightning careened and harpooned into the ether, and it was a satisfying notion to watch them wither along flashes of light and prowess.
Luckily Ronin seemed unaffected by the vitriol in the air, directing, and the sword was grateful, incapable of seeing past the maneuvering abyss and void. Throwing the torches, together, a unified blast, could’ve done the job, and then he could follow through with the draining enchantments stored and collected in his frame.
On command, he ducked behind the sanctuary, eyeing the rest of them. “Toss the torches!” When they’d managed to assemble, he hurled his, hoping the flames did more than cause a vicious explosion – maybe cause more damage to the plants than them.
Then he followed through with his deadly invocations – announcing his intentions to Remi with a quick “When you’re ready,”, aiming to coordinate their efforts, and unfolding, unleashing, unraveling the nefarious magic – allowing it to flow towards the plants, pulsing and pervading in the morning’s haze.
--
Deimos follows Ronin’s directions, ducking behind the shelter, hurling his torch toward the plants (and hoping everyone can do it simultaneously). He then aims his life drain on the plants.
- until you had blood glistening on your teeth
- until your suffering paled in comparison to their own
- until you learned to enjoy the sounds of screams
If Amalia had any doubts about Ronin's astral form they are quickly put to rest as he stands and strides among the plants, as good a witness to their ventures as the girl could have asked. Remi's added quartet of wings creates a veritable gale, and though their efforts seem to somewhat dissuade the gas, Ronin is quick to point out that the wind is disturbing the plants. A peek over the earthen fortitude shows worsening, darkening clouds of of noxious fumes. Biting her lip in frustration the baker pulls her feathers back, leaving human skin and slender fingers where primary plumage has just been.
At least the gas is far away when Ashetta's lightning ignites it, the blue sheet a raging inferno, blasting and blinding through the cavern. Amalia winces and closes her eyes, the scar on her hip twinging in tandem, reminded of the day in the storms. Hunkered down behind earthen walls, she listens to the next set of instructions and plans, her mind racing with possibilities, with the magic she grasps. Their goal, it seems, is fire- and even as she thinks it she can feel her shield warm, Edrei's ability stored within, waiting to be used.
Raising the shield, the baker looks over to the alchemist. "Remi, can you carve me a hole?" Through their mental bond she better explains what she intends: the shield placed just outside the safe area, a stream of fire launched from its depths while she remains defended. Grabbing her staff in one hand, she returns to the barrier, notching her shield into place as Deimos calls for them to fire, pouring her intention into the item and willing the inferno of Edrei's fire to devour through the vitriolic plants.
Amalia asks Remi to leave her a hole in the protective wall, and holds her shield through it while invoking Edy's mastered fire magic.
Intangible though he might be, the alchemist can't help but want to call out to Ronin, urging him to come behind the protective barrier. His husband's knowledgeable assessment of the situation does little to dissuade Remi's rapidly spiking anxiety or the idea that Ronin is in danger. Still, there is work to do, and the instructions from those he is closest to (proximity-wise of course), guide Remi's frantic mind back to the tasks at hand.
Bracing himself against the sudden flare of light from Ashe's magic, Remi feels a happy lightening in his chest to see his friend so wholly in her element once more. Watching as Deimos throws his torch, the alchemist does the same using his telekinesis. Hiding behind the wall and with nothing but a nod towards Amalia, indeed a shield-shaped hole appears.
Now for the trickier bit.
Not needing his eyes for this (much good they'd do him anyways), Remi closes them tightly as he concentrates. Feeling for the plants Remi uses a combination of earth magic and transmutation to render them inert of their noxious gases. Hopefully anyways.
Remi throws his torch, makes a hole for Amalia, and uses his magic to try and render the plants inert.
Remi Taliesin
THE ALCHEMIST
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
The world exploded in lightning and fire. Her heart surged with it: energy bursting apart, electrifying the air, incinerating the gas with raging heat. For a blinding, brilliant moment, she felt everything. Every nerve, every pinprick of chaotic lightning---
Ronin's voice carried, a militant report of results and guidance. There was no pause. Ashe followed the others in tossing her torch over the barricade, ducking back once more as Amalia's shield was placed through the wall. The lightning girl dove down deep into her well of power, that storm of magic roiling within, sparking, snarling, raging for release. Her pale skin crackled with it, flares of blue flickering through her hair.
One breath to center. Two to focus. Ashe shut her eyes, and lightning exploded from her raised hands. The deafening crack sent her ears ringing, the brilliant blue light filling the blighted basement, and it set her every nerve on fire.
Ashe felt herself smiling through clenched teeth. Gods, she fucking missed her magic.
Ashe throws her torch and then fires her lightning at the gas and plants again.
this is where the end is written, every battle scar forgiven
howling in the wind, tingle in your skin thunder and the rain as the storm rolls in & destroys it all
08-10-2019, 11:37 PM (This post was last modified: 08-10-2019, 11:38 PM by Court Official.)
key quest
Poisonous gas wafts in and around Ronin both giving the illusion that he is, and is not. It's interesting for all of about three seconds. Once again the basement is bathed in light, red this time not blue, and Ronin disappears in a fiery wash of flame as the torches tumble towards the plant and indeed three fireballs are ignited.
As Deimos life drain reaches out the plants immediately wither and writhe back. In similar instances of this magic where the taking of life results in a boon to the user, Deimos will find that specific trait noticeably lacking here.
Amalia releases the fiery blast and again the world is suddenly a heaping amalgam of yellows and reds. The plants killed by Deimos burn away like dust and more are instantly vaporized beneath the heat. The force of the blast knocks Amalia back a few steps but she easily rights herself.
A tricky feat by Remi proves successful as well, not killing the plants but instead changing them into something not poisonous at all. If his friends do not take notice though they will simply be killing healthy plants and wasting their efforts for nothing.
Once again Ashetta 's lightning takes centre stage, lighting up the interior in a ferocious display that completely annihilates a good many of the plants.
Perhaps due to the abrupt and rapid-fire attacks (literally, in some cases), the plants have not had time to recuperate and spew more venom into the air. That, or your masks are working overtime. It's of course hard to tell in the midst of ball.
Your randomly rolled initiative order is: Ronin, Deimos, Amalia, Remi, Ashe. You have 48 hours to reply. Please include a summary at the bottom of your post.
Having eyes and ears on his friends and lover was a boon in more ways than one. Bearing witness to the fire, the fight, the explosions... it all meant that Ronin's emotions were naturally running high, and so even as the detonations faded and the torches were no more, his astral projection shone as brightly as ever, lending light alongside Amalia's staff.
He had crouched instinctively, even if none of what was occurring had touched him, and he was the first to rise back up and dart into the chamber, squinting through the smog at what was left. "There are a lot of plants down, keep it up," he called. "And some have stopped spewing the gas - focus on the ones that are still dangerous!"
And there he remained, ready and able to point out the plants that were still causing trouble, shining like a beacon.
Ronin acts as a light source and directs the attacks towards plants that are still giving off poisonous gas!
A different kind of battle waged, but the efforts were the same – teamwork, configuring blasts of fire, conflagrations igniting the wilted arrays of plants, lightning flashing and consecrating a decadent aura, menace, malice, and power sizzling, and Remi’s intervals altering the course of the fauna entirely. He breathed for a moment, more than a sharp inhale, just to admire the infernal ramparts, maneuvering behind Amalia as she was knocked back, hands reaching in case she needed assistance (and begging to voice the inquiry about what she’d done with the shield – how the stars had aligned and given it flame).
Ronin beckoned again, and his attention diverted, refocused, riveted to the projections of bright light, beckoning beacons, focus on the ones that are still dangerous bounding into his ears, into his senses, a heavy breath reeling within the mask.
Concentration amassed along his figure once more, a power immersed in condemnation, in desecration, in destruction. The invocations were an outcry in his mind, one of relish, one of savoring, one of consuming, swallowing, devouring the world before them – a touch of home, when and where his savagery was all anyone knew about him. They flared back to life, maneuvering once more towards the plants, targeting the bestial fragments still laced and lacquered with toxins.
--
Deimos aims his life drain magic again at the plants, trying to focus on the ones still containing poison.
- until you had blood glistening on your teeth
- until your suffering paled in comparison to their own
- until you learned to enjoy the sounds of screams
It's working. By some strange miracle their efforts are working, with nobody yet gasping a breath of pain, no coughing or collapsing into illness and despair. The blast from her shield sends her reeling, but there are hands there to catch her, Deimos' firm grasp on her shoulders, a grateful and ecstatic smile offered to her lover, her leader, her Sword.
The moment of affection is brief, quickly swallowed back into purpose, flames and plants and an inferno to alight. Taking the shield into her hands, the baker is surprised to feel it different - less warm, less tingling, less alive, the magic in it spent and squandered. Frustration flares within her then, but she is not without alternative tools. Thinking quickly, the girl pulls the shield back inside the safety of their shed, sliding it to Remi with a fervent request. "Can you lend me some magic?"
Then she pulls out the amulet given from Deimos, shuddering a little at the idea of wielding death. Following Ronin's guidance she directs the power toward the plants still spilling fumes, hoping to wither them quickly away, a silent prayer to Vi on her lips as she uses a power she never thought to touch.
Amalia asks Remi to refill her shield, and uses the amulet with Deimos' life drain magic against the still poisonous plants.
"That ones that are dangerous, mmm?" Remi called out once the fire and lightning had subsided, a smirk on his lips. "What would we do without you, Ronin." He added with a cheeky smile, too inappropriately amused given all that was happening around them.
Not feeling the effects of the his magical usage quite yet, the alchemist nods in response to Amalia's request. Closing his eyes, he places a hand on the shield just as he casts his magic elsewhere as well. The strange hybrid of transmutation and earth magic shoots out, the alchemist feeling for the plants still blackened and poisonous and leaving those he already healed alone.
Remi making the best of that endurance stat, gives Amalia earth/transmutation combo (but only one will take), and blasts the plants healthy again.
Remi Taliesin
THE ALCHEMIST
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
08-12-2019, 08:51 PM (This post was last modified: 08-12-2019, 08:53 PM by Ashetta.)
Ashetta
THE STORMBRINGER
The battle raged on. It was strange, she considered as she braced herself against the blast. It felt in many ways like a true battle---gritted teeth, heat, a wild heart, deafening blasts and blinding lights, the calls of comrades. The once-assassin was a soldier of a different kind. She only ever worked with a single partner, occasionally three of them completing a contract, and there was a familiar energy to this small team of warriors going up against a foe that wielded no steel.
Ronin called out again. Ashe looked up over the barrier, her breath catching at the sight of his astral form illuminated, reminding her so much of standing in that crater that she nearly vaulted herself over the barrier to get to him. It was only the sound of Remi's voice calling back to him that set her at ease. She took a shakey breath, nodding more to herself more than anything. He was fine. He was okay, back at the top of the stairs.
Her firepower was all that was left. She refocused, her eyes finding the remaining haze of gas through her mask. She could feel weariness dragging at her bones, but she had stamina yet. "I can direct the lightning, starboy," she called, and braced herself as she dove down into her magic once more. "Explosions? Not so much."
With that, she released her lightning with another with another explosion of power, the wild bolts arcing for the places Ronin directed to.
Ashe fired another lightning attack for the still dangerous plants and the remaining gas.
this is where the end is written, every battle scar forgiven
howling in the wind, tingle in your skin thunder and the rain as the storm rolls in & destroys it all
