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!
01-25-2020, 02:18 AM (This post was last modified: 01-31-2020, 01:23 AM by Deimos.)
remember that you can't save everyone
remember that you have to try
Deimos’ role as General pre-determined the notion and nuances of what he’d be orchestrating this morning: training. Instilled and formulated in practice, in skirmishes, in mock-duels, preparation for the sake of defensive or offensive maneuvers. He’d held several already one-on-one, coaxing and honing strengths, deficits, and where an individual would be most efficient, but it’d been a while since he’d hosted anything with multitudes of people. It invited a sensation of chaos, of reality, when the world was spinning and bedlam reigned, when inherent, instinctual properties amidst calamity surged and seethed through blood and bone. It instigated survival, tenacity, perseverance, fortitude, and endurance. And after everything they’d experienced, and kept running towards, into, and along, the Hollowed Grounds could benefit from further skills.
For this, it’d be magic-based; how they could guard, how they could trap, how they could ensnare, how they could power through. Perhaps there were some who’d had little experience in combat at all, and they could unravel the feelings, the ruminations, the calculations behind such sanctions. Maybe there were some who’d grown rusty, not fighting, mauling, or brutalizing in a long while, a need to stretch out the invocations and enchantments. Whatever the reason, the Sword would welcome their presence.
So it was early, when the sun had barely risen (mostly to ensure the heat didn’t destroy them all), as he marched along the training grounds of the barracks. He’d already left his note on the Notice Board, and gathered some water to leave along the edges. With any luck or fortune, they’d have a fair amount show up, and they could get started right away.
--
This is a PQ for magic users only! Come test your skills combatively within a group! Hits will be determined by dice roll (but you’ll be able to ascertain the damage done to your character). This PQ will be moving on when slots are filled. Thank you!
Ever since the incident where her magic had expanded without her realizing it, and subsequently slipped out of her grasp to wreak havoc, Maea had been wary of using it. Of using any of her skills at all in that regard, to avoid triggering another incident like that. If Sunjata hadn't been there to help her afterwards, she was sure she'd have been in quite the danger; surrounded by ice, drained utterly and barely conscious.
Seeing the note about magic combat on the board, she had read it a few times. Thought to ignore it at first, but then checked herself. Training was what she had dedicated this season to, and no chance to learn should be passed up. If she were to go berserk again, what better place than in a location where no one would get hurt, and there were others around who might help her handle it better?
As such, she was among the first to arrive on the appointed day, already warmed up after her usual run. Finding Deimos already there, Maea smiled at him in greeting; she wasn't sure whether he'd be surprised to see her here, considering the context. She'd asked for weapons training earlier, after all. Not magic.
"Good morning, General. I'm looking forward to this," she told him, in way of greeting. "Thank you for offering this lesson... It's quite overdue on my part."
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 ♦
Magic training? Jigano had been an accomplished wielder of bardic magic and able to cast divine spells with a lifetime's-worth of deftness on his previous world. Since his powers had sparked anew from Safrin's harsh lesson in humility, however, he'd found himself learning and re-learning things he thought he knew, only to discover them to be entirely different upon Caido. The similarities were often more misleading than helpful, and to make things even more challenging, he was finding himself dealing with elemental magics he'd had very little connection to before.
He had been training on his own, or with companions until now - Melita, Deimos, Evie, and Loren, to name a few. There was always more to learn, however, and as his training day with Melita had shown, he had quite a ways to go to apply his magics to combat.
Which made this an excellent day to continue, especially since he had enlisted in the militia recently. It would give Deimos a better grasp of his abilities so the General could more effectively plan defenses and offenses around his volunteers, and it would allow Jigano to stretch his magic in new and potentially life-saving ways.
He wasn't the first to arrive, but at least he wasn't the last, either. He nodded a friendly good morning to Deimos as he walked into the training grounds, and smiled at Maea, glad to see her here rather than at Zariah's school for her training. "Good morning to you both. I'm looking forward to the training today as well."
Not really, but the reality is that anywhere Deimos is, Hotaru is likely to be a few steps behind. When the dawn comes she is there bright and early, dressed in loose-fighting clothing in her lightest thread. While armor is important she's sure this training is going to go on longer than anyone has accounted for, and she'd rather have wounds to care for than die of heatstroke. Or something equally dramatic that gives her the excuse to bare her skin in billowing fabric and a simple band around her breasts to keep them contained, leaving her open shirt to kiss against her ribs as she walks.
And of course, right after she catches sight of Deimos, she ends up laughing softly to herself upon realizing that Jigano and Maea are also there. Approaching, she eyes the two and then sends a smug look at Deimos that only he will likely understand. "Are we getting the Cave Party back together?" she teases as she comes up, smiling at the two others gathered beneath Deimos' tutelage. Her magic is blessedly similar to her days in Helovia, though she is still stunted in so many ways. She longs for the days of her hurricanes and lightning, but perhaps this will help hone her magic enough to be more useful to her in Caido. There's no point in aching for something she can't get back after all.
Dark twisted fantasy turned to reality Kissing death and losing my breath
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Oh, she absolutely could use more training, and with the idea of Deimos leading a sort of small grouping of them, she can’t be left behind. No, she arrives easily in clothes that cover every inch, her parasol in hand as she seeks out some space in the shade, letting her verdant gaze drift to all of those that have already arrived, appearing briefly after Hotaru’s comment. “Seems more like the old trio.” She replies with a playful chime toward her sister, reaching forward to pull the woman in for a hug and a light kiss to her cheek.
But her eyes flit back toward Deimos then, giving him a cheerful grin of greeting, a few more somber nods toward Jigano and Maea in their own respective greetings as well. She doesn’t know them as well as she knows the Sword and Hotaru, yet she can’t help but to interject the feeling of home among the rest of them gathered.
An assortment of characters show up, all familiar (some beloved; pictures of family not shared by blood, but bonds in ice, snow, and continual fortune or tribulations). He extended a nod to each in turn, acknowledgments and thanks yous, silent you are welcomes prospered in either the arch of his brow or the tilt of his skull. There was a sneakier glance towards Rexanna and Hotaru, relieved in the primordial throng of furtive notions shared and scattered – were either attuned he might have snarked in the silent contortions. But not now. There were too many things to meander and maneuver within.
“Thank you for coming,” the Sword instilled, resolute and adamant, grateful there were still enough willing and eager to learn, to try. “I thought we would start out by training amongst one another, and then in a group.” Simulations and circumstances, enough experience with the dreaded events of the past to riddle out and contort some summations of danger and persecution without them being immersed in true irreverence or harm’s way. “Zuriel will be available if anyone requires healing.” The unicorn, grazing nearby, swished a tail, and then did naught more – bored until there was some potential victim. He wouldn’t put the healing measures upon Jigano, even if he was instilled as a combat medic, simply because he’d prefer the bard utilize his strength, endurance, and fortitude for what was to come. Those gathered here were Deimos’ responsibility, and he’d care for them within his instruction and tutelage.
They all had enchantments and invocations, otherwise they wouldn’t be amassed here. He wasn’t going to coddle them, as most were quite experienced in their range and abilities. There was no need for him to measure stances, no swordplay, there was no need for him to ramble about potency and potential. They all knew how to contort power in their frames. It was how they wielded. How they decided to unleash their tempests and storms. How they endured. The first set of instructions unraveled thereafter. “Pair up and make an initial attack. Think about how you would assault. What do you know about your adversary? What could be a crucial weakness? Then, how are you going to defend yourself?” With all these capabilities at their disposal, what was the best way to go about anything? To ensure success? To consider triumph? Calculations and predilections could instigate far more than glory and heroic maneuvers.
--
Find a partner, and make an initial attack. I will DM dice roll hits/missed (and also post them here afterwards). No post order!
He grinned at Hotaru, glancing to see if Evie was following behind at her comment, but the apothecary must have been busy - or hadn't felt compelled to join the more warlike pursuits of the rest of them, preferring to focus on patching people up rather than taking them apart. He didn't blame her for that; they all found the places they were best suited for eventually.
Rexanna's entrance earned a slight bow and a murmured: "Your majesty," as Jigano gave her a teasing wink. He might have said more, but Deimos began his instructions and the bard listened intently to the plan for the day. He nodded understanding of the format, sending a pulse of wry gratitude through the Attuned bond for Zuriel's handling of the Healing, and then he turned to face his chosen foe.
"Dance with me?" he murmured to Rexanna , blue eyes sparkling with challenge. "I've seen you wield a mean needle. I look forward to facing your magic as well." He'd seen her fireworks before in the exploration undertaken with Bastien all those seasons ago. This time he grasped for the earth beneath her and attempted to thrust it up at her feet in a series of small packed earth spikes while preparing to close his eyes and roll away from her flames.
Facing Jigano was not the easiest thing. With their most recent discussion fresh in mind, the smile she managed to give him in greeting was tentative at best. This was not at all the time or place for a continuation of that, thank the gods, because in all honesty... Maea still wasn't sure what kind of reply she would be giving him.
It was quite the relief to focus on the lesson, the task at hand and the people that had gathered. Maea found that she knew all of them, and when it came time to pair up, she angled over towards Hotaru with a mischievous little smile.
"Looks like it's you and me, then? I was hoping to spar with you eventually," she said. Grinning, with her hands still hanging loose by the sides, Maea conjured up a handful of needles, forged from near translucent ice, and sent them flying towards the other woman's face.
In way of greeting, as you do.
----
Maea pairs with Hotaru, and attacks by sending a handful of ice needles towards her face!
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 ♦
Jigano greets her and she offers a light smirk of a smile in response, an elegant tip of her head as though it were nothing more than that — but there’s humor in the gesture. Her eyes soon find Deimos after, and she nods to him with the agreement and understanding of the rules set in place.
She turns toward Jigano as he addresses her, a smile playing along her face. “So long as I’m the only one with fire.” She winks to him — she’s not too keen on blowing herself up today at the very least. But before she has a chance, she can feel the ground beneath her feet grow unsteady, hitting the arches of her shoes in a way that would otherwise be painful if she weren’t ascended.
She hops from place to place trying to find solid ground, focusing and raising her palms up to shoot a small firework at Jigano in the attempts at distracting him with the blinding light or the sound that pops off when it explodes in a shower of golds and reds.
Hotaru's teasing grin softens as Rexanna wraps around her, leaning into the touch and the kiss placed upon her cheek. Completely transformed by her sister's presence. An arm wraps around the queen's waist to give her a long squeeze and a returning kiss on the cheek before they are parting, sizing up their prey beneath Deimos' instructions. She lets her opponent come to her, having already fought alongside Rexanna - though admittedly in an entirely different world - and Jigano once before. Maea seems to have the same idea as she approaches of her own accord, sparking that predatory smirk to bloom once more on the maiden's lips. Mischief reflects back at her, and she twists her hips idly to loosen her spine in preparation for what she knows will be a quick and brutal fight.
Hotaru certainly isn't the type to hold back in training, and she hopes Maea isn't either.
"No time like the present," she replies sweetly, though her eyes are sharp and focused intently upon her newly named opponent. When the attack comes she lunges to the side to avoid...whatever that was. It had moved too quickly to eye it properly but it matters little to her in the heat of the moment. She plants her right foot hard into the earth from her dodge and springs forward, sliding her palm down the length of her arm to charge her static electricity - far stronger now, and able to be wielded from a distance. It will do, with the lack of natural lightning to draw from. She casts it out with a sharp movement, aiming for center mass and following behind it with a tightly balled fist towards Maea's stomach. Not quite magical, but nobody said it couldn't be physical either.
Hotaru dodges to the side to avoid the needles, runs forward and casts her electricity out at Maea's torso and turning the move into a punch.
Dark twisted fantasy turned to reality Kissing death and losing my breath
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
The proceedings thereafter were interesting, intriguing, in the depths of how they paired up and corresponded in retaliation. These training exercises were an invitation to discover or develop new magics, to see how or what they acquired, what to formulate, different assignations and decisions made in a flash. Because for all the advice he could still within them, for all the notions and experience aligned, anointed, in his schemes and ruses, it would always be ultimately up to them in a fight, amongst adventures, or careening through disasters. The General’s main agenda was to ensure they had what it took, and the skills, the practice, the fortitude to back it all up.
Jigano’s earthen spikes thrust up through the ground, intending their steady march towards Rexanna; meant to perhaps unsettle, ruffle the edges of rooted fortitude. His eyes swung back to the Penumbra, to watch and witness how she defended or harpooned (because they’d fought together time and time before), and while the sizzling, blinding sparks managed to blister into the horizon, the Sage had means of protection and resistance, never being hit by the bolstered flames. Another moment where Deimos wished Rexanna had the ability to attune, simply for the snark. “I wonder,” he spoke aloud, teasing the Queen by way of the barest hint. “If there are other things you could utilize.” A quick arch to his brow, notions of upgrades searing through the motion, and then his gaze swept back to Jigano as he made another turn of the grounds. Earth magic could be offensive and defensive – but why not both at once? “Could you guard and assault at the same time?” Inclinations of previous days, of rushes into basements and dangerous ventures, of more than doing one or the other, of slating, piercing, and protecting. He had visions of dirt walls and hurtling stones, proffering his quiet musings, a shrug following, before moving on to the other group.
Which – needed something. He hadn’t known any of Maea’s strengths in magic revelations, gaze catching icy needles (pangs of the Basin somewhere in his heart, registering as nothing more than a vacant, reticent brim to his features). Except they missed Hotaru completely, quick and swift, unwinding away from the force. And then the Valkyrie’s own assault, which should’ve been vicious, with sparks of electricity solidified into a fist, had no such luck either. He stood along the side, pondering where to go from here. “Concentration aids in precision,” came on rumbling tones, knowing and understanding the amount of frustration misses caused, uncertain of that had been the cause, if there’d been too many things looming within one another’s minds, or just sheer, rotten luck. “Try again. Focus on your magic. How can you extend it over your opponent?” Instead of just coinciding with one – why not surround or engulf?
The beast paused in his wandering, calling out over their amassed through once more. “One more round – see what you can do to change how you use your powers.” Then he had another surprise in store for them.
”No fire from me, at least!” he had no problem promising his Queen with a grin. That particular skill had never manifested in him, so she was safe from all but his usual hot air. Though today she was spared even that as they focused on their attacks. His assault had been a minor one, perhaps, not intending to be lethal or near to it – this was training for fun and with friends, after all – but as Rexanna discovered, a lack of balance on sharp, unstable footing could serve as defense as well as offense. He was able to dodge away from her firework, avoiding being disoriented and then resetting to his original starting position as he let the earth fall back and smooth once more beneath his partner’s feet.
The General made his observations and suggestions, and Jigano nodded thoughtfully as he remembered training with Melita in the fields when his earth magic was still new to him. He arched a brow with a grin at Rexanna, as if asking if she was ready, and when she gave him permission he danced back and reached for the earth again, grabbing and splitting it as he attempted to open a small, five foot wide by three foot deep chasm beneath her while pulling the earth in front of him up to form a shield of packed earth between them. Most surprising of all, however, was the smoothness of its curving wall compared to his earlier, rougher manifestations of the element, and the thick glass window that allowed him to keep an eye on Rex’s response through it instead of giving her the cover to hide behind it as well. ”…Huh. That’s… new,” he mused, momentarily thrown off guard.
Hotaru's attack had been as swift and decisive as her own, and Maea had been forced to move quickly to avoid it, dodging by turning herself partly away from the other woman. The punch and the zapping electricity penetrated the air just where her torso had been, and as the white-haired girl regained her stance there was something far more cautious in her eyes as she considered her opponent.
Not taking her attention off Hotaru, Maea listened to the General's directions and nodded. Licking her lips in concentration, Maea gave in to the song of water in her veins and made a flood of it well up from beneath Hotaru's feet. Moving her hands in the air to guide it, Maea tried to bring the water up around her opponent from all sides, to close her within a bubble of swirling liquid that never stopped moving. There would be no air to breathe within, no static to produce sparks and a slowing of those sharp, deft movements; provided Hotaru didn't manage to dodge again this would be far more difficult a situation to get out of.
----
Maea summons water and tries to close Hotaru within a bubble of churning water! There is no air within, and visibility is poor.
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 ♦
“Hmm.” She offers to Deimos, giving him a quiet smirk and a nod. She does, not entirely magic, but something else for sure. And so she settles on the solid ground again, giving Jigano a nod to ensure when she’s ready, pleased that he doesn’t have fire magic and that it might be something she has at her own disposal. Though, as Jigano begins to shift the earth around her, she’s caught off balance again, sucking in an unnecessary breath, watching herself sink into the chasm despite her attempts to slip out of the way.
And so she does the one thing she can think of, activates her upgrade while she sinks, unable to use her magic while it’s active, but able to try and hopefully get Jigano to lose some form of control over the magic he wields at the very moment – though whether it effects the rest of their trio is something she doesn’t quite know about. She’s too focused on the bard and clawing her way out of the chasm.
Rex uses her upgrade!
Type: Dark
Magic Barrier Upgrade | This chip causes basic/upgraded abandoned magic in one user, within 5ft, to cease working. Mastered magic becomes weak and unstable. Magic ceases to work entirely if contact is made.
