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 soon as the gourds began to approach Sam immediately realised this whole thing had been a stupid idea. You couldn't debate with vegetables. Amalia's hope for peace and diplomacy was something to be admired, but there was a time and place, and arguing with something belonged in a soup wasn't it.
Not that he had a chance to share these thoughts before he was being bowled over by the gourds, falling down and hearing a crack in his ankle that he was sure would have hurt terribly had he been able to feel it. With a yell he prepared to activate his barrier, wanting to throw the gourds off (after all, they hit first - Amalia couldn't be too mad, right?)...
...Then Amalia jumped over him, and he couldn't in worry of endangering her. Groaning with the effort he reached up to try and pull the vines from his neck as she bit them, glad he couldn't feel his pain but concerned by the loss of strength in his limbs.
-
Sam tries to pull at the vines on his neck!
04-07-2020, 03:10 PM (This post was last modified: 04-07-2020, 03:11 PM by NPC.)
Insolent two legs, thinking they can take down the children as well as the queen! The angry rumbling only seems to be rising, and this time it's directed primarily at the fae - though there's plenty to go around.
The illusion of fire does nothing but infuriate the gourds. A winged one, daring to threaten and attack them so! Instead of cutting through the vines, Alina 's spear is grabbed up by one of the furious gourds and flung away, landing near Melita. Meanwhile, Alina will now find herself grounded, though still able to move her arms and wings.
Melita is rather more successful in her endeavors. The small gourds seem to become profoundly affected by the hallucinatory properties of the staff, though perhaps not in the way she might have wanted. Their aggression not quelled, they begin to attack everything in sight - including each other. Two fall to three of their brethren. Three run off, howling. One gets a large nip on Melita's right ankle, severely injuring the Achilles tendon. And one remains steadfastly glued to Fangorn, gnawing on its vines.
Amalia 's strike on the gourd does more damage to her than it, bruising her shoulder. Similarly, her pleas for peace fall on deaf... flesh? Luckily though, Jyoti's starlight seems to have a positive effect, and though it still growls the largest of the gourds rolls off Samuel, while the vines around his neck relax enough for the Ascended to break free.
Alina is trapped by the three gourds, one of whom stole her spear! She cannot attempt to flee this turn. Melita has been bitten on the right ankle! She and Fangorn are both under attack from one small gourd. She can attempt to flee this turn. Samuel has managed to escape the vines around his neck! He can attempt to flee this turn. Amalia has knocked the large gourd off Sam, and Jyoti has calmed the large gourds around them. She can attempt to flee this turn
As Alina's attacks and magic continued to have no effect on the gourds, she cursed under her breath. Already she could feel her strength waning and her energy draining. When the three gourds grounded her, and one stole her spear, she considered simply submitting and begging for their mercy.
However, she was a fighter. So instead, she simply threw herself against her bonds. Trying to get out of the vines, she wriggled and thrashed as best she could, though it was hard given how tired and injured she was. If any of the gourds were within reach of her, she would try to kick or punch them.
Alina tries to escape her bonds. If any of the gourds are close enough, she attempts to strike them.
Her hopes had been to fully deter them – staring at the assemblage of gourds made her realize that the hallucinatory properties of the staff might have been more unpredictable than her. Had she not been so pre-occupied, she could’ve noticed the gourd snagging at her ankle – instead, a veritable hiss left her lungs, the swell of pain agonizing through her foot. “Dammit," she snarled, and with Fangorn still caught by one of his own, she wasn’t about to flee or go anywhere.
She attempted to kick off the one latching onto her ankle, then limped towards poor Fangorn, who was doing his best to snarl and gnaw his way out of their current jam. The honeybee child intended to use her staff once more, maybe to knock it away from her companion; otherwise her next step would be the fire within her quiver.
The second Sam felt the vines around his neck loosen he tried to slip out of the grasp of the pumpkins, wishing more with every second he had either not shown up in the first place or used his barrier when he'd had the chance. They were gourds! Amalia's quest for peace was admirable, though he couldn't help but notice it extended more to vegetables than it seemed to for Ascended.
Anyway.
He wouldn't fight in order to preserve their relationship, but he was giving up on this appeal for a truce. Scrambling away as quickly as he could, Sam would turn invisible right away and try to roll away and get a good distance from the fight, still invisible and just watching the goings on.
--
Sam tries to slip out of the vines and go invisible to quite a distance (say 30ft) away to watch.
Sam breaks free and disappears, a turn of events that has Amalia blinking in surprise. She doesn't have time to wonder where he's gone, though: the fae appears to be struggling, and Melita as well. Grabbing her staff the Shield shifts back to human form and sprints over to the bound winged woman.
"Here - let's get out of here." Possessing nothing with a blade, Amalia instead lets her nails lengthen into claws in an attempt to sever the vines that constrict her. As she works she turns her head toward Melita, calling out to the girl: "Get Fangorn free and run! I can heal you once we're clear."
Meanwhile, Jyoti swims back to the leader of the pumpkins, pleading for at least a brief respite to allow her friends to flee.
At last Alina is successful in freeing herself from the gourds. Most of this success comes from her own actions - but no small amount is due to Amalia. Rather than make any real headway on the vines, the Shield instead gets the gourd's undivided attention - and wrath.
They release Alina with a series of hisses, leaping at Amalia. Before she can respond the baker will find herself pinned down, vines adhering each of her limbs to the ground. Jyoti's starlight keeps the gourds from doing anything too violent, but the baker is in a bad spot. Not badly injured, perhaps, but certainly with a deep wound to her pride.
Melita doesn't have much more luck. The gourd that holds Fangorn is reluctant to let go, growling angrily as she approaches with her staff. Whatever hallucinations it's having do cause it to ease its grasp on the companion... and transfer itself to Melita's calf, where it latches on with tooth and vine, greedily trying to get at the artery within.
Alina is super successful at escaping the gourds! She takes no damage this round and can successfully flee. Melita gets the gourd off of Fangorn and onto herself! She takes a large amount of damage and can attempt to flee. Samuelsuccessfully flees. Amalia is critically unsuccessful at escaping, and is now grappled by the gourds! She takes a small amount of damage and cannot attempt to flee.
As Alina broke free of the gourds wines and grasp, she wasted no time in flying straight up, or at least attempting to. Having no qualms about abandoning her spear (she could always make another) or the woman who'd tried to rescue her. Granted, the huntress did glance at the bound Amalia and briefly considered attempting to help.
However, the Fae was injured, tired, and annoyed. The baker had brought this on herself, both with this endeavor in general and with running back when Alina had things well in hand. So she just kept flying up, up, and away, hoping to get out of range before flying slowly back towards the Greatwood.
Things have gone from bad to worse, but at least the others are free. Later Amalia will feel a great deal of shame for leading another misadventure, but that embarrassment and guilt will be at least tempered by the lack of loss of life.
So far.
From her position on the floor Amalia watches as the fae flies away, relieved. That leaves only Melita - brave, fierce, demon queen Melita - for the girl to save. Not that she'll be doing much rescuing in her current position: tied down limb by limb, thoroughly trapped by the gourds. But she isn't hurt, and she is strong.
"Mel!" Amalia calls out, hoping the younger woman is listening. "Grab my staff - you can heal yourself and the others with it. Don't kill any gourds! I'll be fine." Indeed, her wounds are minor overall. Without checking to see if Melita has obeyed, Amalia slips into another form, shrinking down and becoming a slick, fierce little otter. With dexterous claws and wickedly sharp teeth she attempts to free herself from the gourds, while a frantic Jyoti contributes with soothing song and another wave of starlight.
Amalia asks Mel to grab her staff and heal up. She shifts into otter form to attempt to wriggle free. Jyoti uses soothing starlight.
“Fok jou you little piece of shit,” muttered and grumbled from her mouth, a series of curses and hisses strung out into the open as she freed her companion, but seemed to gain another all in the same stead. The pain languished down her calf as its fangs ripped into her flesh, and she fought to bring her staff upwards, and down upon the other gourd in a series of blows; no longer caring if they lived.
Then they just had to flee, grabbing hold of Fangorn in her arms, uttering more and more biting statements and chords, fighting off the ridiculous amount of pain searing through her limping, gimping across to see to the others.
Samuel and the Fae seemed to have disappeared.
Then there was only Amalia, completely trapped and ensnared by the gourds’ vines. Any notion of escaping was gone, no intention of leaving her friend behind. Gasping, short of breath, the blinding, scathing, sinking weight of anguish biting into her form, the girl took her staff and intended to reach the baker – except her words floated over the abyss, and the cutting notion of not killing any of the ridiculous pumpkins snagged.
Because, gods knew she wanted to. Only Amalia’s directions, goals, aspirations, and her connection with Fangorn waylaid the possibility of absolute demolition. Gritting her teeth, locking her jaw, she nodded, grabbing hold of the Shield’s staff, two in her hand, though each devastatingly different, intending to heal herself and anyone else who needed it.
--
Melita attempts to hit the gourd still attached to her calf, grabs Fangorn and Amalia's staff, and attempts to heal herself.
Sam breathed a sigh of relief as he realised he'd managed to get free, scrambling back and sitting as he tried to peer over and get a better view of what was happening now: The Fae had disappeared somewhere, Melita going to help Amalia but being told to stay back. Wobbly and jerking from the loss of his ankle Sam got to his feet (foot)? And began to limp closer, determined to use his barrier to electrocute the gourds holding his sister down to save her: he was not losing his new family to this.
Then though Amalia turned to her otter shift and he paused, waiting to see if she would be successful. If she was he would turn as quickly as he could to run away, yelling: "This isn't working, Ama. Come on!"
--
Sam comes closer to be ready to help Amalia if needed next turn. If she gets out ok, he urges her to run (hobble) away with him.
The gourd on Melita's leg just bites that much more aggressively for her violence, and while Amalia's shifting does catch the pumpkins off-gourd, it's Jyoti who truly saves the day. Gathering all her willpower and strength, the starwhale is able to blanket the field suddenly in stoothing starlight, finally lowering tensions enough for the fighting to come to an end.
As though called back by an invisible force, the vampire pumpkins stop their assaults and begin to scramble back to where their leader waits, its dark eye holes ever so slightly less menacing now. With one last growl it speaks into Amalia and Fangorn's minds, but it doesn't take an Attuned to know what it has to say:
We do not forget; we do not forgive.
Though on this day we let you live
Never hall we call you friend-
Go now, and seek us not again!
The gourds have allowed you all to escape thanks to Jyoti's critical success! Their advice: gtfo
Alina got the fuck out of Dodge. However, she risked a look behind her as she fled. Thankfully, it seemed that the gourds were willing to let everyone go. Obviously, the vicious vegetables had made their point, and it was those retreating's job to tell it.
Well the only lesson she had learned was that the outsiders were as foolish as she'd always believed, and not content to just leave things be. Grumbling under her breath, she finally felt the adrenalin drain from her. Her wounds practically screamed for attention, so she flew slowly and carefully to the Village. Someone there would be able to patch her up.
Through the biting, the healing, and the rooted chaos, the little starwhale seemed to resound as the crowning opus. A visceral sigh of relief finally flowed through the girl, the aches and pains beginning to fade, the danger somewhat diminished for the time being. Fangorn, still gathered in her arms, grumbled back the gourds’ responses, and a frown flickered back over her features as she went to give Amalia her staff back. “Sorry,” she murmured; uncertain if it was for her actions not being enough, or daring to be monstrous and destructive (exactly what the baker hadn’t wanted), or that everything had fallen apart so quickly.
