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!
04-11-2020, 01:17 AM (This post was last modified: 04-16-2020, 11:30 PM by Oliver.)
and yes i've been changing. for me, not for you
It had been eons since Oliver set out to find a job for him to do. It was a task that he had seemingly made hard to deal with for really no reason. It took a while, but once a couple of people knocked some sense into him, he started to realize that what he genuinely enjoyed doing... was actually possible. For so long he had been worried about fitting into an exact puzzle piece, when really he had the freedom to expand, to spread his wings and go far beyond those small expectations.
And when he finally thought of what he wanted to do... he actually felt excited.
Now, he wasn't going to be great overnight, far from it, but there was a hope. Maybe he wouldn't immediately be helpful in the sense of contributing to the safety of others, but maybe he could help the well being. Provide quality good that most people didn't consider. There were many possibilities, but he could work on those in the future.
A few fliers were posted up around town, requesting some help just before sundown. It would hopefully be a time where everyone was available and he could get some help.
It took a lot of setting up, but he seemed to have all of the supplies ready. In one crate were numerous rocks and coals, used to hopefully fuel the fires. Along with it were some lava rocks he had gathered on previous trips to torchline. Then there were the bricks that he would use to build his forge. Next, he had tools and planks of wood to be used for shelves. After all, he did need to display his wares. For the smaller things, he had a large table along with small little crates that would need to be arranged and labeled using a small jar of black paint. Off to the side was a pair of gloves and a large can of paint, hopefully to fix up the outside and make it look more...welcoming.
Finally was some cleaning supplies to fix up the basement, along with a bar to pry open the door because hell was he too weak to do that.
Safe to say, he had all the supplies he needed. Now all he could do was wait and hope people would come to help him achieve the next step of his journey.
Welcome to the BlackSmith Shop PQ! It's gonna be nice and easy! C:
I have 3-4 spots available for this PQ. I'd prefer 4, but I can work with 3!
1. Delphine
2. Aisha
3. Alina
4. Samuel
smile for the camera, it's just a shot in the dark
After Alina's less than stellar encounter with the Attuned in the Greatwood, she had realized she needed to change her approach slightly. So, though it pained her, she found herself actually going to the Hollowed Ground. They seemed to use a system of barter here not dissimilar to the ones the Fae used, so she figured she could trade her service for the items Safrin had tasked her with collecting.
Luckily, it seemed these idiots needed quite a bit of help. As soon as she entered the settlement, she saw something asking for help. So she arrived at the designated time and place and marched up to the painfully young man who seemed to be in charge of this endeavor. "I will help you in exchange for help with a task of my own." It came out as a declaration. "Safrin has tasked me with collecting the hair from every race. Or other body parts. Give me some of yours and I will help you with your..." Her voice trailed off as she realized she didn't actually know what they were doing here.
Alina arrives and demands some of Oliver's hair in exchange for her help.
04-13-2020, 02:26 PM (This post was last modified: 04-13-2020, 02:33 PM by Aisha.)
running off over next doors
garden before the hour is done
Aisha's first couple weeks in Caido had their ups and downs, she'd become better acquainted with the settlement, it's people and it's general layout. Stumbling through lessons, both learned through word of mouth and through experience. There had been nights when she'd flopped in her bed at the manor and sulked, feeling sorry for herself and all that she'd lost, and other nights when she'd come back happy to describe what she'd learned to Oliver, exuberant in spirits and ready for the next day.
It was a process for sure, but Aisha was feeling more confident today than others. Mainly because she'd set out with a goal in mind, and a determination to help. Ollie was starting a forge, he'd put in plenty of effort to prepare for this day and Aisha was more than happy to be there for him. He'd done so much for her, this was her chance to give back. And it felt good, it felt right.
She showed up right on time, hair tied up with her ribbon and sleeves rolled up to her biceps. A smile lit her face when she saw Oliver, "Hey! Long time no see," she greeted him with a friendly sarcasm, looking around at all the things he'd amassed, leaving him to talk to the other woman there. Wait a minute, Aisha had to do a double take when she saw her. Wings. The short woman had wings. Eyes wide and clearly surprised, she gave Oliver a look over the woman's shoulder that rather clearly expressed both her amusement and surprise. It seemed rude to start questioning the fairy-like woman, but Oliver had some explaining to do later.
it’s more a question of feeling
than it is a question of fun
Delphine did not know the person, who had posted fliers, seeking help. However that wouldn't stop her from offering. Though she wasn't offering her help to be helpful, more... to prove to herself that she could be useful.
A certain person's words stuck in her head. That she was useless, worthless. Fun stuff. If she could help this person, she'd feel better about herself, right?
She arrived, and glanced to the three people gathered, before realizing she hadn't actually read the flier, except to get a location... Well. She was here now, and certainly was not going to admit she had no idea what they were doing.
Delphine could fake that she knew what was going on. Probably.
Since Sam had spoken to Oliver one night in the settlement he'd thought of the new Outlander (new to him, anyways, and when he'd been there some 27 years now Outlanders that had joined in the last 2 always felt new) as eager and friendly enough, had kept an eye out for him in the Atheneum should he want to come and see the books he had so excitedly talked about.
So far no appointment to see the book, but it seemed there was an explanation for that when Sam heard that Oliver had begun to set up a Blacksmith's shop. This was surprising, to be sure: he had not thought that the young man had had the physique for that job and nor had he expressed much desire to make metalwork; still, Sam was not one to judge someone for following their passions.
Arriving with his 'day clothes' on (large hat, long coat, gloves) he quickly slipped inside as soon as he could and lowered his hat. "Hello, Oliver. I heard you needed some help?"
04-16-2020, 11:45 PM (This post was last modified: 04-16-2020, 11:54 PM by Oliver.)
and yes i've been changing. for me, not for you
Slowly, to Oliver's surprise, people began to arrive. The first is the one that really caught him off guard: a fae. Oliver had expected to see some familiar faces, obviously, so already it was a surprise to see a complete stranger, but a fae of all people? Now that really caught Oliver off guard. Then she had an... unusual request. Now, if it had been any other god, Oliver probably would've been reluctant, but the fact that she had named Safrin? Well... Oliver just had to believe that she was being honest and that he wasn't about to die. "Sure, one second," Safrin wouldn't hurt him.... right? Yeah. Totally. Reaching into his boot, Oliver pulled out a blade and carefully cut off a small piece of his hair from the top, one that wouldn't really be noted. Holding out the hair he raised his eyebrows at her. "I sure hope this is suitable enough for you."
Then, he was happy to see a very familiar face. "Thank you for coming, Aisha. I hope you've been able to settle in well." He said with a waggle of his eyebrows, clearly joking around and poking fun at the fact that he's been housing her for the last days and cooking and cleaning and- you get the just.
Once more, an unfamiliar face came forward and Oliver offered her a soft smile. "Welcome, thank you for coming. I'm Oliver and you are?" This one seemed quiet, but he did at least want a name to call her. So far he had an unnamed fae, Aisha, and an unnamed girl.
And what another surprise. Someone he knew, yet, but someone he absolutely didn't expect. This was a bit too obvious as Oliver eyes were wide with raised eyebrows. "Oh, Sam. Thank you so much for coming." He quickly caught himself and showed his appreciation. Well, looks like he'd be able to make great progress with such a group.
Taking a step back, Oliver smiled at the group that had formed and started his very obviously planned speech. "Thank you so much for coming. I am Oliver and I am trying to set up a blacksmith shop. Right now, there is clearly a lot of work to be done and I can assure you, I will be repaying you for your hard time with something. I can provide food, art, or whatever I produce through this shop. If none of those are suitable, let me know and we can make a deal." The fae already got what she wanted so perfect.
"I have a few tasks. I plan to be working on making the forge and I will need one person to help me out with that. Then, another one of you will need to start working on putting up some shelves in here. There is a lot of wood outside. I have marked the spots with blue paint, so just put the shelves there. Next, I will need someone to work outside. You will need to help me freshen the place up. Get some fresh paint on the outside and pull some of the weeds for me. Finally, I will need someone to help me out with the basement. Unfortunately, the door wont open so you will first need to pull it open. Next, just help me out by cleaning up down there and seeing whatever the hell is down there." Once he was finished, he let out a soft sigh and regained his breath. Time to see what everyone would choose.
Thank you all so much!
Now, we have 4 tasks for you to pick from!
Help Oliver build the forge
Put up some shelves inside Clean up the outside (Please don't force Sam to do that... please)
And finally: Go downstairs! Just, ya know, open up that trap door and get your butt down there! Clean up, deal with whatever is down there!
There is no posting order, so feel free to post whenever!
smile for the camera, it's just a shot in the dark
Taking the hair the blonde offered, Alina tucked it away in a pouch. ”What race are you?” She offered no thanks or gratitude, since she felt none. As others began to arrive, she moved off to one side a bit. Not introducing herself, she just watched and listened to the names and the tasks.
When they were asked to assign themselves to one, she responded immediately. ”I’ll clean up the outside.” Without bothering to wait for a response, she went off and began pulling weeds out of the ground. She actually stacked them carefully, almost tenderly, fully intending to bring them to be composted and returned to the earth.
Alina takes the outside. She begins by pulling up weeds.
Oliver was clearly quite surprised to see him arrive and Sam wasn't sure whether he ought to be insulted by that or not: he was quite a helpful person, wasn't he? A part of the council, someone that represented the Naturals and tried to make sure he was seen doing good around town? Maybe that hadn't reached everywhere yet. Regardless he smiled and nodded, waving a hand dismissively at the idea of a reward.
The Fae immediately went outside. Sam wanted to give her a lot of space (she seemed testy and Fae didn't like Ascended at the best of times) and figuring it was likely the job no one else wanted, he decided to go downstairs. Bending down to open up the hatch he would look down into the space, using his Ascended eyes to see clearly in the dark before climbing down, ready to clean whatever he could find.
running off over next doors
garden before the hour is done
Aisha responded to Oliver's teasing with a scrunched nose smirk, and gave a light hum. She appreciated all that he'd did, and this was her way of giving back. Plus she'd always enjoyed forgery, and back home she'd spent a few unassuming days hanging around the smithys and watching their irons bubble and boil.
The group was addressed swiftly, and tasks were offered to pick from. The fairy-like woman made her choice with little delay, Aisha's eyes followed her out curiously, still rather distracted by the presence of such a being. She clicked her focus back into place as the red head opened the hatch in the ground, realizing her choices had dwindled rather quickly. Of the last two remaining tasks she far preferred helping with the forge than to putting up shelves, that sounded almost too easy.
"I'll help you with the forge," she said, moving over to stand by him as a sign that he could take the lead from here, she was just there to assist.
Aisha offers to help Oliver with building the forge!
it’s more a question of feeling
than it is a question of fun
As everyone picked their chosen task, Delphine was left with the last one -- putting up shelves inside. That seemed easy enough, so she smiled and waved to Oliver, and wandered inside, to see what she was dealing with.
In Northaven, she had often put her own shelves up when she lived with Alder, so this was something she was familiar with, to an extent. After deciding how many shelves could fit in the room, she moved to gather the wood, carrying it one piece at a time, until she had wood for four shelves.
04-18-2020, 08:23 PM (This post was last modified: 04-18-2020, 08:23 PM by Oliver.)
and yes i've been changing. for me, not for you
The fae seemed satisfied enough with his hair and he offered her a small smile. "Attuned and Abandoned." Hopefully that would be enough to get her to work and it seemed to be the case.
People filled in and his orders were immediately listened to. It seemed fitting that the fae would choose to help out with the weeds and Oliver had full and total trust in her abilities to do so. Then, Aisha agreed to help him with the forge, which was absolutely fantastic! Samuel went off to go downstairs and the unnamed girl chose to help out with the shelves. It was probably a good thing that the person who hadn't said a word was close to him as it would allow him to maybe get to know her- or at least keep a proper eye on her.
Turning to face Aisha, he nodded to her and spoke. "We need to start out with the base and then build up the walls. If you could help me with that, it'd be great." As Oliver spoke, he started to work on building up the base by laying down some slabs that the coals could rest on. He'd hope that Aisha would follow along and begin to work on putting bricks to build up the walls.
Meanwhile, the others seemed to be doing... pretty okay. Delphine doesn't face too many problems, but she does, unfortunately, get some pretty annoying splinters in her hands!
Next, Alina finds some amazing luck. The weeds pull up smoothly and swiftly, allowing her to easily work on the outside, cleaning it up like the pro she is!
And Sam. Oh boy... Samuel. He does manage to get down there, but it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that there is something absolutely wrong. In the corner of the room was a resting stone golem who was very upset to suddenly have not only a loud commotion above, but also light now pouring into his private resting room. Letting out a grunt, the stone golem lumbers towards Sam, ready to snap that twig in half.
Oliver and Aisha begin to work on the forge!
Delphine gets some splinters but is otherwise able to begin her work
Alina does a great job at pulling weeds
Sam has found a stone golem! One who is very angry and ready to put up a fight!
No posting order
smile for the camera, it's just a shot in the dark
running off over next doors
garden before the hour is done
Everybody seemed content with their chosen duties, there was a general uplifting feeling in the air that Aisha relaxed into. She had a goal and a way to reach it, and she didn't need to worry about anything but helping out and getting it done. It was a nice change, feeling like she had a purpose, and a tone that she hoped would carry over even after today's work was done.
Oliver turned to her and explained his plan, the girl nodded, arms crossed and ready to start. Once he'd broken away she observed for a moment, just to get an idea of the dimensions based on the foundation he was working on, then she went to work laying the bricks in a shapely pattern around. A bit of a perfectionist, she made sure that the lines matched to a T, as she didn't want her friend to have an asymmetrical forge. That would stink.
Aisha starts laying the bricks for the walls around the forge!
it’s more a question of feeling
than it is a question of fun
Seeing the form of the Stone Golem, Sam's first reaction was to groan more than panic: there seemed to be a never-ending supply of these creatures in the basements and forgotten corners of the Hollowed Grounds. Immediately activating his barrier and invisibility, he stepped out of the way of the Golem's attack, reasonably confident that it would not be able to find him now.
How to solve the problem, though? Golems were vulnerable to sunlight but so was he, besides getting a Golem up the ladder to where the light could be found would be difficult, to say the least. He'd need to be creative if he wanted to deal with this with as little injury as possible to anyone upstairs or the building itself.
Looking around, he went to grab a rock or stone from the bottom of the basement, something large enough that he had to pick it up with both hands; then tried to subtly place it in front of the Golem. Walking to the other side of the basement he made himself visible again for just a second: hoping that the Golem would try to rush forward to attack and trip on the rock he had left.
04-19-2020, 01:56 PM (This post was last modified: 04-19-2020, 01:57 PM by Alina.)
When we can’t control fire,
we name it “wild”
Nodding as the man revealed he was a hybrid, Alina just moved on to her task without further comment. The weeds came up easily enough. Indeed, she had no trouble creating a tidy pile of them. Glancing around she realized there were no more to deal with. Grinning in a very satisfied way, she turned her attention to the outside of the building.
It needed a fresh coat of paint. However, she first had to clean and strip the outside. Assuming Oliver had supplied soap, water, and paint strippers, the Fae would start to scrub and strip the outside as best she could. Thankfully, her wings meant that she didn't even need a ladder to reach the top part of the wall.
Alina scrubs the outside with soap and water and strips any old paint.
