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!
It has been a few days since the eruption. Ash still clouds the air, thick and deadly, and all sailing beyond the safety of the immediate port has been suspended. Air mages work around the clock to ensure that the toxic clouds do not become too much of an issue, particularly for essential fishing vessels. Still, whilst the devastating consequences of the volcano's eruption are apparent, so too is the miracle of the people's safety, and the fact that Haulani has been left all but untouched.
But they are short a leader - a leader who has, in fairness, been absent for some time. No Governor, no progress.
And two men have been singled out as potentials for the job.
Both very different. Both with strengths, weaknesses, foibles, tales of legend. Some with more of a reputation in Torchline than others.
But the people of Torchline are gathered now to hear them speak. A small platform has been set up on the pier, giving the men leverage to make their cases. To stake their claim on this most bountiful and mischievous of lands.
Welcome to the Mini Event to decide Torchline's future leadership!
Please allow Remi and Sunjata to post first.
Remi, Sunjata : In your posts please address the people of Torchline and advise them how you would be best suited to lead the islands. OOC beneath your post, please also post the list of leadership requirements and which ones you have fulfilled already. (NOTE - this will NOT affect the vote, it is just to get an idea. You may speak OOC with those you think would suit your cabinet, even if nothing IC has been decided at this time).
Everyone is welcome to respond after this, whether a resident of Torchline or not! You will have 24 hours to post in this event before I address those who have Torchline characters to see how they voted. HAVE FUN!
there's a feeling i get when i look to the west, & my spirit is crying for leaving.
Remi wasn't nervous perse. Having your child die in your arms made political plays like this seem entirely small. Still, his stomach fluttered a touch as he made his way towards the end of the dock with Sunjata. "I'd say we could arm wrestle for it, but..." Remi flexed a hand, knowing that despite his strength, the flood would always have height on his side. Grinning a touch at that, Remi turned to face the crowd and did something perhaps they might not expect.
He played the game.
"Once I was kind and needlessly naive. Those of you who have met me know that is not longer the case. But you also know that for all the things I am, I'm not a liar, no longer painfully humble. I like Sunjata—" Turning he gave the man at his side a genuine nod, before looking back ahead. "—but I think I'm better for you than he is, and I'll tell you why."
Torchline was not about minced words and sugar-coated sentiments, so he'd give it to them straight.
"Sure I came here recklessly, destroyed property and drank to excess." He tried to seek out Raza 's gaze, to grin apologetically. "But I always paid my debts and arrived before sunrise to fix the things I broke in anger. We've all lost those we love and many have acted out because of it, and you'll never hear me run or hide from the things I've done."
He probably should have shot Sunjata a look of forward-looking apology, but he didn't.
"Sunjata started to build a life in the Hollowed Grounds, then abandoned it. He's made a new start here, but is also building a bar in Halo. Why think he has much of a vested interest here other than his recent say so? He goes back and forth from here, to Halo, to the Grounds. I've been here longer, and have hardly left the sands since I was first deposited here by Safrin. Since arriving I've defended the Torchline way of things to those who might want to sand down its rougher edges but have tried to keep things safer as well. I've added to the economy, killed ghost whales after they attacked merchant vessels, and have declared this place my home." Running a hand through his curls, the alchemist folded his arms across his chest.
"I am stronger and faster by far, with magic and shifts both. Whatever I might have lost in losing my daughter—" Remi's voice only wavered slightly at that, "—I've gained in perspective. I may not like all of you, and you may not like me; that's fine. But know that as your governor, you'll never wonder where you stand with me."
With power and someone like Ronin to ever keep him grounded, the alchemist couldn't be easily bought or persuaded. There were no demons in his closet hidden from light. If anything, he'd dragged his problems around with him for all to see, dealing with them in real time. He wasn't so sure Sunjata could say the same.
Be at least level 1 ✓
Have explored 3 boards within that region ✓
Have engaged 5 times with the region (joining/starting a guild, encountering the flora/fauna, assisting someone) ✓
Has helped with repairs on the Hanged Man (so what if he caused them)
Opened a travelling cart with goods for sale
Has engaged with Ghost whales and Hels
Recent volcano KQ lol
Per Ludo's instructions, have eased the death of drowning sailors
Has assisted with the underground economy
Have completed 2 PQs (hosted or joined) in the region that help to better the land (creating a shop, taking care of a problem, etc) ✓
Thread with every member of your cabinet at l east once (3 or fewer in a thread)
Host a PQ with your entire cabinet setting up your base of operations and establishing positions - On hold.
in my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees & the voices of those who stand looking.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
When it comes down to it, Sunjata had always felt like he should stray away from leadership of any kind. But there are bits and pieces of him that crave it, that nagging in the back of his mind that seem to scream that he’s got something more to offer other than being a Guildmaster of an underground ring with footholds in three out of four of the places they can go without storms. Regardless, it’s an attempt – and frankly, he doesn’t care if he doesn’t get it. He’s fine with Remi, fine with whomever else decides they might want it.
But the option is there and Sunjata’s tired of getting the backseat of everything, tired of giving into things because of other people and what they want him to do. This is something he can try to take. And so he does.
Nodding to Remi in response, he waits, gaze flickering out about the crowd – not ashamed of the things he’s done, not ashamed of not being a part of things more either. It is what it is, and he’s been busy in the varying areas of the continent. So he remains silent, gaze flickering to Remi only occasionally as the Alchemist speaks, knowing his faults and not shaming Remi for bringing them up. After all, this is something he was born for – something he knows how to play as well.
Only difference is that where Remi drug his demons around with him, Sunjata kept them hidden. Didn’t deny them when brought to light, but never actually actively went to bring them to the light, either.
“Very good, Remi.” He teases lightly when the man’s finished, moving to step up and address the crowd as well.
A deep inhale, shadowed steel glancing around the faces. “Remi’s right, to be honest with you all. I do have a bar in the Grounds, one in Halo, the boxing ring here. But it’s not without reason.” He pauses to flash Remi a small crooked smirk of apology. “My entire life in Caido thus far has been dealing in secrets and information all for the attempts in searching for the ocean, searching for a place like this, searching for people like you. It’s no fault of my own that Remi found it first to make more of an impression when Safrin had dropped them here.” A tilt of his head to the crowd, gesturing with a very distinctly Safrinesque tattoo on his right arm trailing up beneath his feathered wing tattoos. “But it’s the people that make the land, is it not? The people that make a home and not the walls? I like to think that while I haven’t been here as long as Remi has, haven’t done as much as he has, but I like to think that I might have a few notable things in common with you all.”
“The boxing ring has been a great expanse for those wishing to learn to defend themselves or to practice their skills. I’ve helped with getting as many people out of harms way with the volcano as I could. There’s nothing that would stop me from making this into my home and becoming a part of Torchline regardless if you pick me or not.” Briefly, he offers a bit wider of a smile, somewhat toothy in that regard at that tidbit of information. “Remi is stronger than I am, that’s absolutely true. I don’t have magic, I don’t have a powerful husband to lean on... Though Ronin is a part of my guild. But I am Attuned. I am one of Safrin’s Attuned whom you all have a shrine dedicated to in Aumakua. And I have previous experience of my past world of fighting for my people to give them a better life before I got dropped off here.” A small shrug of tattooed shoulders to that, folding his arms across his chest as he steps back, inclining his head toward Remi.
Another brief inhale. “Whether or not you choose me as your governor won’t stop me from still trying to do the same here. Defending your values and traditions, while still offering protection to those that require it. I am here for you.”
Be at least level 1 ✔
Have explored 3 boards within that region ✔
Have engaged 5 times with the region (joining/starting a guild, encountering the flora/fauna, assisting someone)
Made a boxing ring for defense (def not a front for anything nor new headquarters for the guild)
Volcano KQ
Helped train at the boxing ring
Compelled away encantados that were bothering people near the beach
Encountered Hels as well as Ramphires.
Have completed 2 PQs (hosted or joined) in the region that help to better the land (creating a shop, taking care of a problem, etc)
Thread with every member of your cabinet at least once (3 or fewer in a thread)
Host a PQ with your entire cabinet setting up your base of operations and establishing positions not yet
if i let go, would you hold on?
would we fly?
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Honestly, Ronin loved being part of the crowd. He'd been king, captain, hero... to see a close friend and his husband duke it out for the privilege instead? They could have it.
He lived for their speeches, for reading the crowd, for buying treats from vendors to share with Seren as they listened. And whoa, Sunjata didn't just reference little ol' him in this great big volcano-erupting mess?
Resisting the urge to let out a whoop or a cheer, Ronin stood quietly by and waited for the people of Torchline to make up their mind. He had already made up his, after all.
A volcano had erupted and effectively left the Ark dead in the water. And the Governor had gone and died, and with him all the well crafted connections, bribes, underhanded deeds and years of work. Fucker.
Was Jack anxious about all of this? Absolutely.
And how did it manifest?
Boredom. Duh.
The captain watched the proceedings from some distance back, sitting on a low wall with a smoke and a flask of rum. Where did his loyalties lie? With himself, of course. And he knew which candidate was the most likely to appreciate his brand of business.
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
She had no idea what was going on, but it was fun. Remi and Sunjata were standing high up and talking really loudly, and as she nibbled the treats she watched them both with unabashed adoration.
"Pick me daddy, I want to see better!" she urged Ronin, tugging at his sleeve. Never mind that her hands were sticky, and her mouth full of traces of the food; those were her heroes up there, and she didn't want to miss a thing.
I am a princess on the way to my throne Destined to reign, destined to roam
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
Eloise was there because Jack was there. "That one came over from Northaven. I think he was...a commoner if I remember." But she didn't really; Remi hadn't been anyone of interest back then, and though he was posturing to be someone of interest now, Eloise wasn't entirely convinced.
Still, this decision wasn't her own, just like her life hadn't entirely been her own since finding out Jack's secret. So Eloise would vote for whatever was best for the Ark, which meant whatever was best for Jack. Or was it the other way around?
she'll treat you like somebody but you just can't touch
Saiden had shown up, of course. However, surprisingly enough he stood towards the back of the crowd. He was fully aware of the eyes that occasionally turned his way, especially at the conclusion of the two speeches. However, he just kept grinning cheerfully, barely reacting to the words being spread.
Slipping his hands into his pockets, he spotted Jack and Eloise in the distance. The cook's eyes tightened and his jaw feathered with tension at the sight. Still he nodded at the captain of the Ark.
Then the Hali turned his attention back to the assembly. He wasn't planning to say anything unless someone came up to speak to him. However, he was very curious to see if anyone would publicly throw their support one way or another.
Out of maelstroms and straight into chaotic ventures again, her uncle somehow rose his way towards striving for the role of Governor – uncertain whether she should be calling him out for doing something stupid again, or proud. She leaned towards both, finding her way amongst the crowd, arms folded across her chest, angled off towards the side, peering at Remi, aiming for the title too, some amount of confusion notched along her brow, before shaking her head. Then her eyes followed the rest of the horde. She knew where her decision would lie.
Jiao didn't really care who got to be in charge of the town; she hardly ever left the beach and as far as she'd seen a lot of the activity at the dock worked under it's own kind of law. Still, she was a citizen of Torchline now (or at least, she'd decided she was) and wanted to have her say in the matter, so she'd come to see what the applicants had to say.
Seeing Remi there was a surprise. Last time she'd seen him, he'd given off the impression of being a tired beach hobo selling things from a wagon, not a potential leader in the making. She guessed things could change in a short amount of time in the chaotic land outside of the Greatwood. They certainly had for her.
Anyway, her vote was set. She wasn't sure who the guy that wasn't Remi was, but the speech seemed more fun. Maybe that wasn't the best metric, but Jiao had never been great at taking things seriously. If she noticed Jack or thought about how he would vote, she didn't show any outward sign of it.
Tired little laughs,
gold lie promises,
We'll always win at this,
I don't ever think about death
He had no say in the proceedings, but Jigano was nothing if not curious as to how things would turn out. He arrived with Isuma on his shoulder and a broad straw hat covering his signature white hair, finding a spot off to the side to watch and record the words and the final decision. Notebook in hand, he wrote furiously to keep up with the speeches and if he was shocked at the two men who had decided to step forward he kept it hidden for the moment.
He had a dozen questions for each of them, friends or allies or whatever they all were now, but those would have to wait.
He noted Melita and Jiao, familiar faces that he gave a wave to, and a nod of recognition and respect to Saiden. Ronin's hand was held by a girl, though, and Jigano's eyes widened in shock for a moment before he had to hurry to catch up with Sunjata's reasons for nominating himself. What the hell had been happening in Torchline lately?
Nate had only arrived to keep an eye on things. He could care less who became governor next, thought it was a pointless exercise in dick wagging, but hey. He was here. He'd be supportive of his friend. There were a few faces he recognized in the crowd, though he made no effort to be social, like he normally would, and hoped the dark fabric draped around him, that protected him from the sun, would be enough to protect him from idle conversation as well.
He knew where his vote would go, if he got one. Something told him he wouldn't though, hadn't fully meshed into Torchline to have a say, though... saving the fucking city should count for something, in his opinion.
I would never call him enemy He's the bad god I need
I do end up meeting Remi’s gaze at the beginning of his speech. It ends up being more a ‘you’re incorrigible’ shake, but I keep my mouth shut. The whole thing is a bit of a farce without a true Torcher in the governor’s house, but I’m in no position to talk. Wouldn’t want the job if you paid me a whole mountain of gold. Just let me get back to cleaning out the Hanged Man and livin’ my life the way I want to.
I hear ‘em both out and notice that there’s a lot of talk about maintaining the Torcher way, but surprisingly little about what that is - ah, well, some from Remi, but I still doubt he’s learned everything in two seasons.
In the end, our my choice is an easy one. With a nod to her associates in the crowd, her vote is cast.
And when all is said and done, they gather to cast their votes into the small box that the two men would have stood upon to make their speeches. It is an easy way to vote: Shells for Sunjata, Pebbles for Remi.
Those gathered make their choices; those who have turned up, anyway. And for those who have not? Too bad. That is the true Torchline way.
It takes a bit of wrangling, some back and forth, a lot of drinking and squabbling about "you voted twice, you arsehole" and "you can't vote for both, idiot", but as the sun dips down over the horizon, it is time.
The box is opened. The piles are both high. Both considerable.
But as time goes on, it becomes clear that... pebbles clearly make up the majority.
REMI TALIESIN HAS BEEN CHOSEN AS THE NEW LEADER OF TORCHLINE. Remi, you have one OOC week to commence your leadership tasks. If these tasks have not been started in this time, your leadership may be in question.
Thank you, all of you, for a fun - and more importantly quick - little campaign. I took IC votes into consderation, as well as a number of IC things from both Remi and Sunjata's perspective. Jata was by no means an unpopular choice. Maybe he can join Remi's cabinet now, eh? ;D
