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!
07-21-2020, 02:35 PM (This post was last modified: 07-21-2020, 02:35 PM by Loren.)
LOREN
Even Astra's soft glow wasn't enough to dispel the darkness. Loren squinted slightly as he tried to pierce it. As Kiada, and then Wessex spoke, he sighed.
Setting his companion down, he made his way carefully over to Hotaru. Laying a hand on her shoulder, he sent a quick burst of healing magic through her. Scooping up Astra once again, he turned to face the Wraith, nodding gratefully as she lit a torch.
Shrugging, he looked in the direction she indicated. "A torch seems good to me. As does going right. I'll bring up the rear again. Hotaru" Gesturing for the women to go ahead of him, and for Hotaru to take the torch, he would fill in behind them, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of danger.
Loren healed Hotaru, and voted to go right.
Base Healing: Can heal 30pts of injuries per post.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to
i will carve my way out
Okay, ouch.
They all at least seem to be in one piece as they collectively stand, and Hotaru has suffered worse than skinned knees and some bruises. Murmuring that she's fine, she nevertheless gives an appreciative smile towards Loren as his attempt at magic comes to brush across her skin. How much it helps matters little compared to the gesture. The torch is lit summarily, and she moves to accept it, casting her gaze around the directional options as she does.
Once she's capable of seeing what they do, she nods her agreement. "Upward seems the right idea." Waiting for the two ahead of her to begin shuffling forward, she adjusts her grip on the torch and follows to the right.
Hotaru accepts the torch and agrees to the right path.
with only my teeth
HOTARU
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.
07-22-2020, 04:41 PM (This post was last modified: 07-22-2020, 04:42 PM by Random Event.)
Up you all go, then! It’s a short walk, echoing and steep, and at the top of the incline the pathway ahead is blocked by a rockfall from goodness knows how long ago. It does continue by curving back on itself however - that’s the first warning. The second is the glint of light up ahead, the howl of cold air. The group emerges back out onto the Sea of Glass, some hundred feet away from the original fissure that they walked in through.
The torch is beneficial, and Kiada takes up the position of second behind Wessex’s lead, content to let the Ascended go first into whatever might await them. Up they go, and she stays close to Hotaru and the torch, though her eyes remain partially shifted to help her see through it even more.
The path is steep and she’s half considering shifting to fly and inspect it from above, before there’s light up ahead and a brisk wind that howls through the tunnels and settles in her bones. And then the brightness of the Sea of Glass that has her reaching up to rub at her temple with a soft sigh. “Alright so this path is a no go.” She mumbles, turning on her heel and looking toward Wessex. “Go back and try the other one?” She questions, readying herself to do exactly that — whatever Wessex decides.
Kiada opts for walking back to take the other path from the entrance!
why do i fear becoming a river?
what mountain gave me such shame?
KIADA
Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3
“At least it didn’t lead to any extra monsters,” Wessex says good-natured shrug. Turning around, she nods to Kiada. “Back we go. Let’s try the path that goes down this time.” Nonplussed at the false start, Wessex takes the lead again and takes the group back down, this time opting for the checks notes left path, thinking that since the only way in had begun to take them down, that perhaps they ought to continue down into the earth. Where - yes - lava usually is, unless something has gone horribly wrong.
Walking through the dark, the Wraith idly wonders how this place got the name The Climb. Is there another volcano ahead? If only she had a map...
------------------
This time, W opts for the path that leads down (left).
moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to
i will carve my way out
Well, it's not the best thing that could have happened, but at least it's not the worst either. Meandering back down into the depths is an easy enough matter, the path known both ways now at the very least and hopefully no longer a trip hazard. Hotaru keeps her torch away from the winds and ice near the opening until they are fully concealed once more, adamant it remains lit as long as possible. She has no qualms with the direction chosen, content to follow along where their fearless leader takes them. Surely Wessex is the expert on her own limitations when it comes to heat and fire, and Hotaru will trust her decisions on that.
Readjusting her grip on the torch and making sure her other bracer-covered arm is free to block anything that might come her way, she follows behind the two women, assuming Loren will bring up the rear once more.
Hotaru follows Wessex and Kiada to the left path, still holding the lit torch.
with only my teeth
HOTARU
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 left path seems more promising, wending deep and low into the earth. The air here is still cold, but steadily growing more humid, and water begins to drip upon the group periodically. You walk like this for some time - long enough, indeed, for the torchlight to begin to flicker low - and by now the water that drips is hot, and the tunnel narrows such that you must walk single file.
It’s as you trek on like this that a hideous rumble can suddenly be felt from far, far above - it’s like something has fallen, or something has been thrown. Either way it causes a panic from what lies ahead of you, for there’s an almighty chittering.
Then they surge forth - tiny, furry bodies, sharp teeth, and a lot of frantic scrabbling. ROUS shouldn’t be this deep down, but here they are nonetheless. Better not get eaten.
She doesn’t expect the path to grow so warm – for the water to drip along them with such heat that she begins to sweat beneath the armor that sits along her skin. They’re walking single file now, her behind Wessex, and she can feel the water panging along her chest armor, along the helmet she wears as well – just in case.
The chittering sounds so familiar, and surprise hits her as soon as she sees the small bodies running toward them. She didn’t realize they were here, and she immediately grits her teeth – shifting to her vulture shift to pull herself higher and away from the ROUs if she can – while also reaching out to try and compel two buzzard-like birds to try and clear out the creatures.
Kiada shifts to her vulture form to hover above the tunnel and tries to compel a couple buzzards (if theyr’e this deep lmao) to help clear out the ROUs!
why do i fear becoming a river?
what mountain gave me such shame?
KIADA
Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3
She cannot tell the change in temperature, except by the smell of the others and the general feel of the air as it thickens and grows heavy. The low level of the torch is disconcerting, too, and Wessex begins to hope that they reach a somewhere soon. Then there’s a rumble and she pauses, looking up as if she might somehow be able to see into the rock above her - she can’t, of course - but the movement ahead of them pulls her attention back again.
When the rodents surge forward, she finds herself with a sort of grim determination, thinking this is why she was in front. The Wraith tries to move quickly and decisively against the rush of the ROUS’s and create enough space between herself and Kiada to unleash both sets of talons and start viciously swinging them at the creatures, trying to cut them down before they hit the others. Not that they can’t take care of themselves, but lightning in the tunnel probably isn’t the best idea.
----------------
Wessex tries to move forward against the rodents and put enough space between her and the next person to use both sets of talons in a low, wide circle.
Also checking on her passive healing and previous damage:
Magic: Healing (Passive) | Minor cuts/abrasions/bruising heal instantly. More sever injuries (broken bones, muscle tears, etc) heal at 50% the speed.
Not particularly caring which direction they went and having nothing to do with missing the time Loren followed along at the back of the group as they tried a different tunnel. Still cradling Astra in his arms, he picked his way carefully through the underground.
Of course, their luck turned even worse. As they made their way through the left tunnel, a loud sound caused him to flinch. Frowning, he glanced upwards.
The movement of the ROUS immediately drew his gaze back down. Snarling at them, he reached out with his mind. Trying to capture as many of the creatures as he could, he compelled them to attack one another instead of the tasty humans.
Loren uses his beastmaster ability to order as many of the ROUS to attack each other as he can compel.
Beastmaster | can compel any animal for assistance (6 large, 12 medium, or 20 small)
07-29-2020, 01:27 AM (This post was last modified: 07-29-2020, 01:27 AM by Hotaru.)
moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to
i will carve my way out
The air around them grows humid and damp, and as the torch begins to die down Hotaru wonders just how far this path will take them. If they've even chosen the right one this time. There's nothing but the sound of echoing, distorted footsteps to keep the company for a long while. At least until the snuffling, squeaking shrieks that suddenly descend upon them in droves.
Everyone moves at once, and Hotaru instead goes still, summoning her magic at a level lower than full lightning to shroud her legs so as not to risk harming any of her compatriots. Once that's done, she kicks at any rodents that come her way, hoping to electrocute them if they dare to try and sink their teeth into her shock-filled skin. Trying to keep it as contained as possible in these fragile caverns.
Lightning manipulation: Can create and control Lightning. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
Hotaru uses a weaker level of lightning around her legs to dissuade any bites, and kicks at whatever ROUS comes near to try and electrocute them without harming the others.
with only my teeth
HOTARU
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.
07-30-2020, 05:41 PM (This post was last modified: 07-30-2020, 05:41 PM by Random Event.)
Oof, if it ain’t a mixed bag. Things start off... well, not terribly, per say - but there are no buzzards down here, sorry Kiada - and some of the rodents fall to the Ascended’s talons. But ROUS don’t care for things like gravity, and they swarm up the walls and ceilings of the cave, nipping and scratching at the two at the front of the group. And it hurts, leaving the vulture’s wings bleeding and Wessex ’s calves leaking fluid.
Luckily those in the back have a vastly better time - particularly Loren, who succeeds spectacularly in compelling the ROUS to turn on each other. They still swarm, some of them being zapped along the way by Hotaru, but soon enough they are past the group, leaving them in silence.
Another tremor from above.
The save feels suddenly... claustrophobic.
And then the roof starts to cave in above you. Run!
Oh, she doesn’t expect this turn of events at all. The ROUs drop and begin to bite at her wings, blood sparks to the surface and she can feel the shooting pain slip up from her feather tips to her arms, before she’s dropping to try and get rid of them more. Luckily, she hits the ground not too hard, blood dripping and staining pale feathers a deep red, and then she’s shifting into herself once the ROUs have passed – hissing and cursing under her breath.
She inspects her arms, shifts the armor along her chest, spying the bites and chunks missing out of her skin and flesh, the blood that bubbles to the surface. She doesn’t get long to figure it out though as the roof begins to heave and shift, and Kiada feels as though she’s scrambling, staying in her human form because at least her legs aren’t fucked up like her arms, and she bolts toward the other end.
Kiada shifts into herself and begins to run toward the other side.
why do i fear becoming a river?
what mountain gave me such shame?
KIADA
Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3
Fast, sneaky little fuckers, aren’t they? She snarls as they evade her talons and (what the fuck, they climb the walls like that?) come in to nip at her calves - their bites registering as damage, but the pain, of course, never arrives. At least the two in the back are more successful - but as the swarm disappears into the dark behind them there’s another rumble and something doesn’t seem right… Wessex looks ahead of them, but no, the danger now lies behind them. As the first inklings of the ceiling’s collapse trickle down on them, Wessex looks back and screams, “RUN!!!” at the other three.
Flatting herself against the wall, Wessex waits until all three are past her to take up the heel, ready to try and toss someone over her shoulder and run with them if she has to.
------------
W tells them all to RUN and lets them all pass so she's last in line.
