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!
08-09-2020, 03:10 AM (This post was last modified: 08-11-2020, 01:26 AM by Chulane.)
CHULANE
let's set the world on fire
It was time to begin.
He'd posted a Notice up in hopes of inspiring attendance, of alerting people that all the talk he'd been making about his plans was about to come to fruition. They would start with what they could do, with achievable goals: establishing a place for the Department of Agriculture to work from, and a cool storage facility large enough to hold enough foodstuffs (not just ningo) to get them through Deepfrost comfortably.
Fortunately, in Halo, refrigeration wasn't a problem.
Before him was a small, old, decrepit shed. It was his, now. Or, he supposed, the government's. And behind it, a field with markers laid out showing where the cool storage would be built. Materials and tools aplenty were also piled up nearby.
Morgan had stuck to her word, and the locals seemed happy enough to help him source what he would need to get the job done.
Now it was a matter of getting the job done.
Chuy waited, hopeful and patient, before the shed that would become the Department of Agriculture in Halo.
--
ESTABLISHING DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OFFICE AND STORAGE IN THE CITADEL
Hello and welcome to the first of many PQs that will help establish the Ningo Farm in Halo!
This PQ will focus on converting a small storage shed into a base of operations for the Ningo farm in the Citadel, i.e. an office where locals can find Chuy most of the time to discuss needs etc. And we'll also be building a coldroom storage facility out of ice, big enough to store ningo meat to last Halo through Deepfrost.
This is an Open PQ! There are 3 spots, more can be added though, just shoot me a DM on discord if you want to join C:
”As if I could resist lending you a hand.” It’s a rare thing, for there to be anything close to warmth in Neron’s voice, but Chuy has seen him through some incredibly rough times. He owes him one, and that’s saying something. The ex-Warden is dressed in his customary black, not nearly as protected against the cold as he ought to be, and his steely gaze flicks from the shed to the markers in the field beyond, eyebrows raising at the state of this.
”Now this won’t do,” he says with a huff of laughter. ”We’ll have to get this place looking a bit more suitable for you, don’t you think? I’ve ice magic, for the cool storage. No better thing to build out of, in Halo.” It would be short work, with the right group of people.
Laser beams we're about to awesome all your dreams
Chulane is… borderline fascinating. Wessex regards him well enough, sees a good amount of potential in him, and though she was surprised to hear about his quick rise in the ranks to a member of Halo’s Council, she enthusiastically concedes the good choice. That he isn’t immediately taken in by Morgan’s anti-Ascended rhetoric is a bonus, and when you throw in the conversation about deities and the kind of world he came from, the Wraith finds herself thoroughly willing to lend a hand.
Not that she’s 100% sure what a cool storage unit is, other than that it might do exactly what it sounds like it does. Stores things and keeps them cool?
“Neron,” she says with a surprised tone as she approaches the two men. “How apt.” Ice powers galore with that one. Flashing Chuy a grin, she shrugs. “Not sure what I can do, but I’m good with my hands.”
Weak knees from the level, I’m sick from the treble, I’m your type of metal
She had said she would help the Ningo farm in whatever way she could, and help she would. Even if she was late, despite the many warnings and reminders she'd had. Hester had one flaw, and it was a poor poor poor sense of time.
Running up, the attuned nearly barrelled into her friend, skidding to a quick stop just before a collision. The other two are ignored for the moment as she reaches out to take one of Chulane's hand in both of hers, only realizing the gesture is a bit strange once she's committed to it. So instead of pulling away, Hester leans into it, leaning in with a bright smile on her face. "Ningo chaser, here to help." She chirped, before finally turning to greet the other's who had come to help.
And pausing. Hester didn't have much experience with the ascended, but she did recognize the former warden, and recognized the same kind of stillness in the other woman. She did her best to follow Chulane's lead, and offered a smile of greeting, but didn't say anything.
He was delighted when they came, his abject joy evident in the wide grin upon his lips. "That'll definitely come in handy," he confirmed with Neron as he mentioned his ice magic, honestly a bit excited at the prospect of seeing the Ascended-mage hybrid work with his gifts.
"Any and all help is appreciated," he was a bit surprised to see Wessex, but welcomed her all the same - it would seem this was going to be a bit of an Ascended gathering. Not that it mattered - though he did worry about who would eat the food he'd brought to feed whatever troops arrived to help.
His concerned were allayed when Hess arrived, welcoming the seemingly more friendly, intimate gesture of greeting as she took his hand, smiling warmly at her. "Glad to have you, Hess," he arched a brow - he'd definitely be calling her a ningo chaser again sometime in the future, when the time for teasing arrived.
But right now, they would all be put to work - himself included.
"First things first - we need to clear the field. You can see the red markers that define the corners of the plot. We also need to gut the shed - get all the old stuff out ready to kit it out with new stuff." Rubbing his hands together, he grinned again. "Let's get going - I'm going to tackle the shed first," with a nod, he trusted that they would be able to sort the tasks out amongst themselves, as he turned and ventured into the shed.
---
Round 1 Tasks:
1. 2 people to tackle cleaning out the shed. There's broken and rotting furniture, rotting rugs, random beams of timber. Chuy has taken one of these spots for himself.
2 people to start clearing the space marked out in the field behind the shed. There's snow, old timber and random bits of debris to clear out. There are wheelbarrows and shovels available if you need!
08-16-2020, 06:31 PM (This post was last modified: 08-19-2020, 10:16 AM by Honey.)
neron
With a crooked smile towards Wessex and Chulane, Neron hears the other man out and rests his hands in the pockets of his coat, glancing out across the field. ”I think I can get that plot looking a little better,” he says, nodding at his fellow Ascended. ”Would you like to join me? Anything I can do, you can do better, and all that?” He’s seen the way Wessex can mimic his magic, so this might prove useful.
Without waiting to see if she agrees, Neron heads out into the plot of land, first working on the snow since... well, that’s right up his street. With water manipulation he guides the snowbanks out beyond the plot markers that Chuy has made - once that’s done, he’ll be able to use more traditional means to dispose of the debris.
Weak knees from the level, I’m sick from the treble, I’m your type of metal
Hester was glad the ascended banded together, the bard not looking forward to the awkwardness of working with a stranger, a stranger she wasn't sure how to interact with, really. She was certain her upbringing would force her into a distant politeness, but that was uncomfortable for everyone involved, and better avoided.
"This is much bigger than I first thought." She had been there when the farm was first pitched, but there was something different about only hearing plans, and actually seeing the first, crucial steps, stretched out in real life. "It's so impressive you've done this all yourself." There was genuine warmth in Hester's voice, genuine awe. Sure, people had issues with outlanders, but when it came to matters like this, it was difficult to see the harm in fresh eyes, fresh ideas.
It wasn't the first time they'd cleared out old furniture, and Hester found herself slipping into an routine, her and Chulane working around each other with practised ease. "So if this is the first step," The words pause, as she tries to roll up an old rug and finds it coming apart in her hands instead, "ugh. If this is the first step, what comes next?"
Laser beams we're about to awesome all your dreams
The Ascendeds here are nothing if not a blondish, useful team with cute quips. And as Wessex likes the feeling of his magic in her fingers, she follows Neron without any hesitation, strangely amicable for once. “I’m sure you can best me in something,” she says cheekily, half-challenge and half-jest. Could he? Probably. Maybe. Who knows.
Facing away from her magical brother, she mimics exactly what Neron does, and washes the snowbanks back with water. Then she grabs a wheelbarrow for herself while sending her shadow to go and collect the debris. “I see you’ve survived a season with Morgan.” Knowing very little, if anything about their relationship, she can only assume it’s as tempestuous as her own with the Warden. “I’m almost surprised she hasn’t exiled you or tried to use you as an example of a big, bad Ascended.”
They got to work, all falling into line easily. Hester came with him, and he let a grin slant his lips at her comments. "Couldn't have done it all myself," he said simply, shrugging. "It's been an effort from everyone, and it'll take continued effort to establish it, and keep it going thereafter." He got to work, idly glancing out through windows to the field beyond, to watch Neron and Wessex work as well, admiring the mage's expertise in the fields.
"Next step? Investigate Whitebrim's suitability." His tone was serious as he said it, knowing full well the implications. It was not a task he looked on with much excitement, but they would try, at least. And if it failed (and they were still alive after), they would try again, but probably in Snowcloak, in the safety of the Citadel.
Hester was a real work horse, pushing through her disgust at the rotting rugs and furniture within and making short work of the task. Chuy also worked well, but in shifting a rather cumbersome beam of wood, he managed to knock another hole into the already patchy wall. Oh well, another thing to add to the list of repairs.
Neron seems to set a scorching pace, easily clearing most than two-thirds of the field with his mastery of magic. Wessex also does well, but encounters something a bit more stubborn than normal snow - a patch of Memory Snow, about the size of a large dog, seems to want to stay clumped up in her path. That will take a bit more work to clear.
"Repairs for the shack next," Chuy indicated when everyone took a breather from the tasks (at least, those who still needed to breathe). "And in the back half, some shelving. A big ol' desk in the front section, and maybe light the fireplace too?" All of the supplies were there, from flat panels of timber to patch the walls, to broad, strong shelving planks, and sturdy beams that would easily come together to form the legs of a desk.
Since he'd made an addition to the holes in the wall, he decided to take that task for himself.
--
Chuy does well enough, but accidentally knocks a hole in the wall that will need to be added to the list of repairs.
Neron does fantastically and expertly clears most of the field.
Hester also does fantastically and makes up for Chuy's clumsiness by getting everything out of the shed.
Wessex succeeds in copying Neron's magic and her shadow does well to clear out debris, but encounters some Memory Snow which impedes the last little bit of clearing the field.
Round 2
Great work everyone!
There's still a patch of memory snow that will take 1 person to shift in the near corner of the field.
Time to start repairing the inside of the shed for the other 3.
- All over the shed holes need to be patched in walls (hey, Chuy didn't cause all of them). Chuy takes this task for himself.
- In the back half of the shed shelving will need to be built.
- In the front half a simple desk will need to be built, and the fireplace lit.
Weak knees from the level, I’m sick from the treble, I’m your type of metal
"You've definitely done a lot of it yourself." Hester points out, unwilling to let Chuy wriggle away from her praise so easily. "No one else has ever suggested a ningo farm before." Even if the idea seemed so obvious, now that it was laid out. Though mention of the exile's scratch of civilization has a grim set taking over her eyes, the angle of her jaw. "Maybe you'll be really lucky. Maybe all the cannibals will have frozen through Longnight." A dark joke about a dark place, where people did dark deeds. It was another task she saw herself helping with when the time came.
She isn't sure if this is simply work she takes to well, or if she has some hidden skill for tidying ruined places that's never come up before, but her task seems to fly by, space cleared in the shack easily. Easier than the time Chulane had at least, a new hole added to the collection already in the wall by his attempts.
"I'll take the fireplace!" Her claim was laid immediately, not only because she was a touch chilly, but because it seemed far more fun than putting shelves together. Building fires high and roaring is a skill every person in Halo must learn, and she is no exception. With one half of the task done, Hester turns to the next one, building a desk. She is admittedly not the handiest of people, but it can't be that hard. Four legs, a top, and some extra pieces around the front and sides. She was aiming for something functional, over fancy.
Laser beams we're about to awesome all your dreams
When the last bit of snow refuses to move, Wessex frowns to herself, lips pursing into a thin line of slight annoyance. Suddenly stalking forward to see what could possibly be holding it up, she finds the patch of memory snow and sighs to herself. The woman begins to gather it up, rolling and patting it into what is obviously the base of a snowman. She moves it out of the corner of the field to a semi-watchman like post before rolling two smaller balls to add on top, hopefully getting all bits of memory snow she can find. And what’s more, she’s made a useless sentry to keep the freezer company.
With a satisfied chuckle to herself (no name for him in her head yet, but it’ll come), the demigoddess heads over to where the rest are working to see what else might be needed.
--------------
Wessex makes a snowman-sentry out of the memory snow and moves it off of the field.
”You and me both,” Neron replies to Wessex with a chuckle of his own, watching as she heads over to do whatever she can with the memory snow. ”What can I say? It must be my charming personality winning her over.” In fact, it has not been a terrible season with Morgan (in more intimate ways than the ones he is willing to discuss), but unfortunately there are still things to do. Waving to his fellow Ascended and letting her continue to build her sentry-snowman, Neron heads into the shed where Chuy has indicated there is further work to be done.
Shelf building, in fact. Avoiding the fire (understandably), Neron takes up the pieces of wood to build the shelving and gets to it. He uses a touch of ice magic to hold them temporarily in place - because he is no handyman, and he’s more likely to order others to do heavy lifting than do any himself - and once they look straight, he adds nails and screws to keep them where they need to be.
Neron uses ice magic to help him build the shelves!
He wasn't one to ever take all of the praise, but he didn't deny that he thought the ningo farm was a good idea, and that working together, they could get it done. He's a bit surprised when she voices her rather macabre comment on the cannibals, but he can't exactly disagree with her. The empathic side of him feels for the people who have been exiled though, turned away to the cold plains of the Tundra and resorting to eating fellow humans - it was why he wanted to enact more than just the ningo farm. He wanted to change up Halo's entire judicial system.
Chuy got to work, patching up the walls, but it's slow-going. It's also tiring, and some sections take more than one attempt to patch up completely, as he clumsily drops his hammer more than once during the repairs. He remains in good humour though, keen to get this part done, so they can have a rest break soon.
Hester manages well enough, but a suspicious noise can be heard chirping from the fireplace, and the blaze that initially takes dissipates after a few minutes, after which more chirping sounds echo. The desk she puts together is simple, but sturdy and complete. Might want to check that fireplace again though!
Wessex struggles with the memory snow. It seems that it doesn't want to stay in the shape Wessex tries to define for it, so it takes more than a few attempts to get it off the field. It holds the shape she forms it in for a moment before re-forming into something unidentifiable halfway through her rolling each piece across the field. Instead of a snow-man shape, by the time she gets it to the edge of the field, there's something that resembles a pile of misshapen boulders.
Neron seems to discovered a hidden talent for shelf-building, as his magic helps him complete the task without incident or interruption.
"Sounds like your title of ningo-wrangler is about to be tested, Hester." The vet grinned as he came back through the front room where she was finishing up, noting the state of the fireplace, and hearing a sound he recognised - he had to have spent at least some time around ningos to be able to recognise the sounds they might make.
"Let's have some lunch first, then you can get wrangling," he chuckled softly, before stepping outside again to where a makeshift cooler was keeping some sandwiches fresh. He'd prepared enough to feed more than the two with functional stomachs, but he figured that was better than not having enough.
After lunch, he offered Hester a long broom, and a wry smirk. "Join us outside when you've cleared the bird out and got the fire going." Then he turned to Neron and Wessex. "Let's get started on building the walls for the storage. I went with stone," he gestured to the big pile of stone bricks the masons had left for their use, "because the aim is to keep food cold. Neron, when the walls are up, it'd be great if you could put a layer of ice over each outer surface? For the aesthetic, of course." It was for practical reasons too, but he grinned all the same.
"Shall we take a wall each?" he clapped his hands together, pleased that the hard, frozen ground of Halo meant they could build essentially a giant fridge directly onto the well-packed dirt. Grabbing a wheelbarrow full of bricks, with a curious brow raised at the pile of memory snow that marked the would-be front of the storage facility.
--
Chuy and Hester do average. Hester has a ningo up the chimney to deal with. Wessex struggles with memory snow but gets there eventually. Neron is a secret master shelf builder!
Round 3 Tasks
- Hester to get that ningo out of the chimney in the office
- The rest to start building the stone walls of the storage facility!
Laser beams we're about to awesome all your dreams
Keeping food cold makes sense - frozen meat doesn’t spoil. “So what’s the difference between this and just wrapping meat up and sticking it in the snow?” she asks, genuinely curious. “Besides the size and everything?” Immediately after asking, she can think of some ‘keeping away from animals’ bits, but Ursurs don’t come into the Citadel very often.
Maybe some people get tired of smoked meat? Maybe Chuy does?
“Even memory snow likes to feel useful,” she says with a chuckle at the vet’s eyes on her misshapen creation (to that she would say that she’s never really been an artist). “It might roll away one day.”[/say[ Or they could knock it down, she wouldn’t care. The Wraith grabs some bricks and starts on one of the sidewalls, following Chuy’s instructions for the dimensions and laying them accordingly.
