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!
The ice hit home where Maea intended, but the reaction of the whale was violent, and she was knocked around as it thrashed. Her world became a tumble of darkness and pain as she was tossed from rib to spine and down against sternum, her eyes swimming as she lost sense of direction. Her first impulse was to stop moving entirely, and hope to escape more of the punishing thrashes. The second one - and alas, the one that won out - was to reach for the magic in her again.
This time though, what Maea tried was not so much to kill the whale from within, as to form sturdy pillars of ice, in hopes of prying the whale's mouth open. Claustrophobia was a very real thing and being closed in like this was a veritable hell to her. She wanted out, the sooner the better... especially as she was struck by the unpleasant thought that none of the others would know where she was. What if they just left her there?
Above the surface of the water, the small bluish orb of her companion had begun to circle frantically over the whale that swallowed her. Shii tried desperately to catch the attention of the others, or at the least shed some light over Maea's dark prison.
-------------------
Maea tries to pry open the mouth of Whale #2, so she can escape.
Shii is circling above Whale #2, trying to draw the attention of the others, or give Maea some light.
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 ♦
Well, Remi 's poison works about as well as Wessex's bio-blast, which is to say, not super effective. It's why ghost-types are so hard to beat in Pokemon, duh. Though Remi can't see the spirit of the sailor leaving the belly of the whale, the whale can. It feeds on spirits primarily, sucking them dry before letting them go to find Mort on their own or haunt the seas (this is usual outcome). So as Delphia lures the soul out, the ghost whale screeches an earthly sound, rising out of the water. It can of course see the spirit girl and would be more than happy to devour both she and her cat. Inside, Remi is unceremoniously knocked about like a rag doll.
Stunned once again by Wessex and struck by Ronin, Whale 3 gives up the ghost quite literally. The bones of the beast fall towards the ocean floor while its spirit rises, visible to only Delphia at this point. This whale too, lunges towards the ghostly child.
Maea 's ice is clever, but her strength pales in comparison to that of a creature many and many times her size. The ice rod presses against the bones of the whale's mouth, but she hasn't the strength to pry it open. Continuing to thrash, the whale tries to gulp Maea back down into his belly where she belongs. I'd hold onto that stone of yours Maea, your luck (literally) might not last forever. Hitting against vertebrae and other bones I don't know the names of, Maea is deposited back into the floating heap of dead things in the whale's stomach.
Back on the boat now, Wessex finds herself with the NPC crew, awaiting her instruction. The ship has reached the wreckage, but of course there is no one left to save. Just Whale 2 writhing about beneath the water to knock Maea unconscious with a palm-sized whisp of light hovering above the waves, Whale 1 lunging for an invisible Delphia, and Whale 3 drifting dead towards the bottom of the ocean.
No posting order.
Whale 1: 80% HP
Whale 2: 90% HP
Whale 3: 0% HP - Spirit in the sea
Sinking Sailor 1: 0% - Spirit in the belly of Whale 1
Sinking Sailor 2: 60% - now drowning in the belly of Whale 1 Sinking Sailor 3: 0% - Spirit taken by Delphia
it was me who wrote onto the wooden door your name
.....no Which of course was a resounding yes given just how sheepishly it was thought. Oh just let me look at the map. Ahh yes, here it is. Now if only I had a light to see the you are here dot, we'd be sorted. The alchemist thought back snarkily, not at all taking things as seriously as he likely should. But Remi had always felt safe with Ronin around. And if he did die, he was sure his husband would deliver a hell of eulogy, references to sperm-whales and the alchemist being swallowed up one last time, abound.
As for Ronin's actual question though, Remi had no idea how to make his whereabouts known. He was in a whale; he didn't know which whale, and he didn't know where he currently was. The best he could do, was...holding his breath once again, Remi shifted back into his human form so that he could tap into his magic. Fireworks in the shape of dicks seemed to appear as far around the whale as Remi could make them (which was actually not that far). Still, as the whale lunged for Delphia, hopefully Ronin would see the flaming penises.
If he was going to die, the same lights that were set off at their wedding seemed a fitting tribute. After all, Remi was a romantic.
Remi makes fire-work dicks with illusion magic to signal which whale he's in.
it'll last there longer than in this body i can stay
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Messy. This was messy. But alas, there wasn't time yet to mull over what could have been done about it.
Delphia allowed the soul of Whale #3 to do the work for her. It charged as if it were still alive, but once it was close, she used her abilities to hopefully stop it in its tracks, ensnared by her own brand of magic. "You've caused enough problems, sweetling. Now, mind your manners." she said, hopefully tucking its soul away to send to her father once she was done dealing with the rest of the whales and the souls within.
Whale #1 of course was the biggest issue. It charged, and Delphia redirected her magic, focusing in on the beast and tugging at its soul, desperately trying to pull it free from its undead body to silence it permanently.
Delphia uses her magic to slorp the soul of Whale #3 and tries to slorp the soul of Whale #1
Her efforts were quite in vain, and with helpless frustration Maea felt herself being swallowed back down into the belly of the beast. Again she was battered from the thrashing, and felt bruised, half senseless. All too aware of how desperate her situation was, she clutched a hand to the Cloud Manta crystal tied around her throat to make sure it was kept in place, to tighten the leather cords that kept it secure. If she lost that, she would really be in trouble.
Feeling the strain of her efforts, knowing that she couldn't keep using the ice for much longer without draining herself dry, Maea tried to build a coccoon of water and telekinesis around herself, to buffer against more damage from the thrashing whale. Sensing Shii trying to call for help, she tried to keep as still as possible, hoping the whale might think her dead, to maybe get a moment of rest. A chance to think and come up with a better plan.
Above the surface, the little will-o-wisp's attempts to draw attention grew more frantic, its light swelling and shrinking, the light flickering and waving while keeping pace with the movements of the whale.
------------
Maea checks that the Manta crystal is still secure against her throat and tightens the leather cords.
She tries to play dead, and cocoons herself in water and telekinesis to soften any further blows, hoping to get a respite (and maybe some outside help).
Shii keeps trying to draw attention to Whale #2, marking where Maea is.
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 ♦
Ronin did, indeed, see the flaming penises. Unaware that his attempts to zap his previous opponent had been successful, his focus was entirely on finding his husband. "Less talk, more saving you," he murmured quietly, practically to himself as he sailed upon his cloud over the path of the other two whales. Both were doing a great deal of thrashing and, whilst Ronin was momentatily distracted by a wisp of light near the waves (could that be Remi?) a much more obvious sign made itself clear just a moment later.
"Ah memories," Ronin said, feigning a swooning sigh. Then, to the rest of their group, "I've got this one! Take care of the other!"
And just like their wedding, Ronin would employ his favourite trick, though this time it was admittedly for more violent reasons.
Tossing the axe from the nimbus, it was a second Ronin that leapt from the cloud to catch it, sailing down, down, down towards the whale that held his husband captive. Astral!Ronin aimed right for the skull of the creature, whilst the real deal above considered his next move.
Drawn by the dick fireworks, Ronin's astral form appears to drop down into the water and axe Whale 1 in the skull.
dont know where the lights are taking us but something in the night is dangerous
Remember when she said she’s not here to babysit?
Yeah. That kinda applies here. Standing on the deck of the ship, her attention is immediately drawn to the dicks above one of the whales and Ronin swooping towards it. Then there’s the other whale and to be honest, Wessex is well aware that she isn’t effective from afar. And she needs time to recoup her teleporting abilities. Much more useful against things that aren flesh and true, physical systems, she's trying not to be a dumbass. “Hold here!” she calls to the crew, bidding them remain as safely out of the way as possible, while she watches how things develop.
Loki hovers overhead, having stayed with the ship. She screeches and swoops down above her bonded’s head. “Go ahead, but stay out of reach,” the Wraith exhales with a slight nod, giving her companion permission to see what she can do. Darting off into the sky, Loki tries to come up behind Whale 1 as it breaches the surface and hit it with an energy blast from safely overhead.
Hopefully no one else is in the way.
-----------------
Wessex stays and watches from the deck of the ship while Loki flighs high and tries to energy blast Whale 1 as it breaks the surface of the water.
Whale 3 dives in a spectacular shining arc of death and soul-scattering that only Delphia can see. It rises out of the sea like a shot, rounding down with its maw gaping wide to engulf the human girl who looks impossibly small in the wake of its enormity. But at the point at which it would consume her, it begins to unravel. Twisting like smoke played in reverse until its soul is held within her grasp, ready for Mort.
Whale 1 is not keen to follow in the wake of its brethern, and so as Delphia tugs at it with her magic, it struggles. A dark mist blazes around it as it resists her unearthly charge, covering in black smoke. Inside, Remi will feel his own spirit weaken as this strange pseudo life-drain begins to thread-away his life. Similarly as Ronin drops onto it, the smoke will overtake him as well, sapping away starlit strength with ease. This of course renders this duplicate useless; remaining on the skull of the whale but unable to affect his environment.
The crew follow Wessex 's orders. Loki is perhaps too young for this, and the young dragonlings blast of energy is not as true as it might have been, merely skimming through the dark cloud enfolding Whale 1. Not useless, but not terribly helpful either.
And then there's Maea, wrapped up in a cushion of water within the belly of a whale, with nothing but a small whiff of light dancing above a vast sea to mark her presence. Luckily, Whale 2 isn't keen on remaining out of this fight, and heads swiftly towards the ship. The crew panics and turns to Wessex for guidance, but of course there's nothing to be done. The whale is vastly more maneuverable than the ship is. If the ship goes down, the mode of transportation back to shore goes with it, unless Ronin and Remi feel like sharing, and even then, it's a tight fit. Unless something is cleverly done, Whale 2 will strike for the center of the ship, where it's weakest.
No posting order.
Whale 1: 75% HP
Whale 2: 90% HP Whale 3: 0% HP - Spirit taken by Delphia
Sinking Sailor 1: 0% - Spirit in the belly of Whale 1
Sinking Sailor 2: 60% - now drowning in the belly of Whale 1 Sinking Sailor 3: 0% - Spirit taken by Delphia
it was me who wrote onto the wooden door your name
Saving me? Why. This is precisely where I wanted to end up. I can be almost entirely sure that no one will come bother me in her— So saying (er, thinking), the whale seems to darken all around the alchemist. Shifting back to become an octopus so that he could breathe, Remi took stock of the situation.
A creature made of bone, impervious to poison and probably to most physical attacks as well. Lovely. And why shouldn't it be? It was probably too early to start saying his goodbyes to Ronin, and so he shoved away those thoughts as he focused on the ever-darkening surroundings.
Thinking along the same lines as Maea though not quite, Remi took another deep breath and shifted back to use his magic. He created spires of earth, not water, meaning to force apart the belly of the whale through sheer force and weight rather than pressure. Creating the heaviest elements he could think of, raw minerals and other stones piled up within the creature. To add the stress he hoped he was creating on the creature's system, he shifted back into his manticore form and (awkwardly, admittedly), when to town with rows of shark-teeth and claws on whatever he could sink them into.
it'll last there longer than in this body i can stay
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Maea was given the time she needed to get her bearings, to recover her senses if not the strength or the health. She thought long and hard on her options, slowly realizing that she was on her own here. Through Shii, she was fed glimpses of the others, how Ronin was busy with the other whale and Wessex doing nothing, while Delphia... well, for all Maea knew the woman was as gone as she was.
A grim, hard determination was building within her - if she wanted to get out of this mess she would have to do it herself - and so she set to work on the only other strategy she could think of. Since the ice had been less than effective, she tried to go the other opposite. Aiming for the same area of the skull as last time, Maea tried to heat up the water surrounding the bone to a boil, hoping to make it more brittle. Should the whale begin to thrash again, she was prepared to cushion herself against the impacts with more telekinesis.
---------
Maea tries to boil the water around the skull of Whale 2, hoping to make the bone brittle. She prepares to buffer herself against more jostling if the whale begin to thrash again.
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 ♦
The sensation was akin to grabbing something and fumbling; Ronin projected himself down and towards the skull of the whale holding his husband hostage... but then something seemed to just sap the strength away. Something dark and smoky and sinister, and the axe slipped from his projection's fingers as it became ethereal once more. Luckily he was able to call it back to where he was sitting upon the cloud, but by then all chaos had broken loose elsewhere.
"Fuck," he hissed under his breath; whilst it couldn't affect the world around it anymore, astral!Ronin could at least shed a little light on the situation. Thinking of all that he held dear (most of it being in the belly of a whale, the projection - and Ronin - would begin to glow with fierce starlight. Hopefully it would give Remi something to orient himself in the world of bones and shadows.
Meanwhile, Ronin directed the nimbus back towards the ship. They needed to do something to stop the charging whale in its path, and he felt his fingertips tingle with a power altogether foreign as he hovered near the prow of the vessel. Distract the whale? Shield the ship? All valid ideas, but they weren't really his style.
Reaching out a hand as if something else was in control, Ronin's eyes widened as the tattoos on his wrists became suddenly more, materialising into bright and golden shackles. And at his call the constellation roared forth; a celestial ram easily the size of a car, charging with its head down across the waves to headbutt the whale and slow its travel.
Astral!Ronin shines with starlight to help Remi see and to create a beacon towards Whale 1's skull and mouth.
Ronin meanwhile circles around the ship and summons the Aries Constellation to... well, headbutt Whale 2.
dont know where the lights are taking us but something in the night is dangerous
Wessex didn’t actually expect Loki to be able to do anything, but if it was important for the dragonling to feel like she contributed, then so be it.
The Wraith watches with hawk eyes as there seems to be a struggle with the dick whale, a dark cloud hovering over it for a moment. She frowns, wracking her brain for something she can do other than sit here and watch it all play out, cause she can’t ride every whale to its death. She needs Abandoned magic, or - wait, where’s Maea? She’s about to look around the deck of the boat when the crew begins to yell about the second whale and Ronin zooms in on his cloud.
“Turn for shore!” she barks to the crew, taking action even though they’re never going to be able to outmaneuver the beasts. They can move, they won’t be sitting ducks. Maybe if they get close enough, the whales will beach themselves or - something. Something good will happen.
She makes a decision. “Ronin! I’m going for Remi,” she calls to Ronin. “If I can get safely in the whale, I’ll get him out.” Which means she has to swim there. A determined expression on her face, Wessex does her best to avoid the potential constellation/whale collision by jumping off the deck as far from it as possible, then streamlining herself and kicking furiously towards Whale 1, hoping it will take the bait.
If worse comes to worse, she can always just get herself out of there.
------------
Wessex tells the crew to take the ship towards land, then tells Ronin she’s going to try to get in Whale 1 and retrieve Remi. Dives off the boat as far from the whale/constellation hullabaloo as she can and swims toward Whale 1, trying to get it to swallow her.
As the whale resisted, Delphia was pulled, almost literally, back into the realm of the living. Visible once more to those around her, and very vulnerable to physical attacks, the demigoddess gritted her teeth. Bracing herself against the wreckage of the ship, Delphia glared of all things at the whale. It held the soul of a sailor in its belly. It was slowly killing more people in the hopes of taking their souls. And now it resisted the call of death? For all to see, the demigoddess's skin began to shrivel and shrink, cheeks and eyes sunken in, blackened and smelling of death and rot. Bits of flesh seemed to fall away, revealing bone, and clumps of hair soon joined them until the young woman looked like the risen dead herself. "How dare you resist the inevitable - the call of Mort himself - when you steal that which belongs to him and him alone!" she hissed at the whale in anger, pulling with all her might at its soul and the soul it had consumed.
With a mental prodding, Tishy stayed in her more ghostly form, finding a perch atop her companion's head. Two could play at this shadow game! The kitten hissed as ferociously as it could at Whale #1, extending her shadowy frame as far as she could.
Delphia looks like a zombie cause she is PISSED and puts all her effort into sucking the soul from whale as well as the soul of the sailor within it.
Tishy hisses, stays a spoopy ghost cat, and extends her shadows as big as she can.
Being a hundred or so feet long, it would take more than one burst of rocks within the gut of the creature to slow down the whale. So while Remi 's tactic might be successful if done over and over again, the whale could well handle a few boulders in its stomach. The teeth and claws though? Well that was annoying, and the whale gave a death-roll to try and dislodge the strange creature from its rib cage.
Maea 's magic, extending only 30ft, doesn't quite reach the mouth from her current position, but instead boils the water low in the whale's esophagus. Before it can significantly weaken the bones though, it begins to ... fizzle? The woman will feel her energy sapping away the more she holds on to it. Endurance of 21, yo, only allows for mastered spells for minutes at a time. Annoyed by the bubbles of heat, the whale does indeed thrash on its way to connect with the ship.
Breeching, as the whale's skull connects with the center of the ship, Ronin 's ram connects with the side of its face. White starfire explodes down across its body, fizzling out as it reaches the water. This is of course quite lucky for Maea. The creature roars a sound of pain and anger, quickly dipping down below the surface of the sea where the temperature can ease the burns from Ronin's ram.
The crew frantically turns the ship as quickly as they can after this initial battering, following Wessex 's orders as best they can. As the demi-goddess jumps into the water, it is Whale 2 who sees her first, being the closest. Already annoyed at the jostling in its stomach and the burns on its face, it's happy to lunge forward to swallow this morsel. If Wessex does not teleport her way out, she'll find herself swallowed down into the belly of the creature with Maea.
Delphia manages to syphon away the soul of Sailor 1, but the whale still writhes and refuses stubbornly to leave. It further cloaks itself in black smoke that servers as a boundary to keep its soul intact, though the demi-goddess will already feel its resolve weakening beneath her call.
No posting order.
Whale 1: 48% HP
Whale 2: 70% HP Whale 3: 0% HP - Spirit taken by Delphia
Ship: 85%
Sinking Sailor 1: 0% - Spirit taken by Delphia
Sinking Sailor 2: 60% - now drowning in the belly of Whale 1 Sinking Sailor 3: 0% - Spirit taken by Delphia
Ronin: 182 HP
Remi: 200 HP - Inside Whale 1
Maea: 31 HP - Inside Whale 2
Delphia: 44 HP
Wessex: 120 HP
