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!
11-10-2020, 08:17 PM (This post was last modified: 11-10-2020, 11:22 PM by Vervain.)
to heal a wound, you need to stop touching it
The Governor and his mister have left Torchline for a filthy week(end) away, and whilst Vai doesn't know exactly how much time they have, they've both mentioned enough about their new house that she's aware of what it ought to look like. And where it is. And basically everything she needs to get it finished before they get back.
And hells, when it comes to going big or going home, Vai shows up every time. So she arrives at the cliffsides nestled near the Aumakua with a gaggle of Zeph's favourite dockhands, having asked around for anyone else who might be willing to help. It's going to be a dry and sunny day, so hopefully this first leg will be pretty straightforward.
Vai is hosting a PQ to surprise Sunjata and Nate with their home when they get back to Torchline!
There's gonna come a day when you'll feel better
You'll rise up free and easy on that day
The fact that this is exactly the kind of stunt you'd be likely to pull does little to reduce your grumbling as you trudge your way up the cliffside with Vai, wondering aloud for the 82nd time why anyone would want to live such a fucking trek from town. What's wrong with beachfront property at an appropriate elevation? Why do all these new child governors need to live above it all? What're they compensating for, huh?
You've told your workers they're under strict instructions to obey Vai in most things. You've also taken a couple carpenters aside and suggested they make sure the house is easily accessible for those in the know, just in case. No harm in having a contingency plan, after all. That bit of work done you begin to pour coffee from the thermoses you've packed into your bag, offering a mug to Vai first before settling into your own.
And float from branch to branch, lighter than the air
Just when that day is coming, who can say?
Ray heard through her grapevine that a group was getting together to build a house for Sunjata and Nate. And although she had never met either of them personally, she had some time on her hands. And it would be good to get know some of her neighbors better. In short Ray found herself approaching the meeting place to help build.
"Hi everyone. I'm not sure if we've all met but I'm Ray. I heard you needed an extra pair of hands to build a house?" She greeted with a smile. Building a house seemed like a great way to spend her day off. It'd be good exercise and would also help build her reputation amongst the normal citizens. "I brought snacks and basic meds in case anyone gets hurt." She said putting her bag down. It was filled with biscuits, bandages, and a basic healing salve.
r a y
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.
—Albert Camus
I never had a chance to be soft I was always bloody knuckles
Melita made no mention of her spat with Sunjata with anyone. She kept it chained in her chest, locked away in her bones, where it could chisel, burn out, or decay; either way, her features maintained their good nature, forced pretenses shaping to a emboldened smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
It was fine.
She’d help, like she always had. Even if she wasn’t worth anyone’s time.
So she made the trek, Fangorn in her arms, waving to Vai and Zeph as they bounded along – gaze settling in on the workers, and the unknown woman, arriving only to hear a name (Ray) and that she’d be willing to lend an extra hand. “I’m Melita,” the youth gestured with one hand not around her gourd, before inhaling, taking a sudden, sharpened breath, and turning towards Vai. “Where would you like me?”
Action, action, action, rather than sink into her own melancholies and furies.
and shards of glass I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me
Vai accepts her mug of coffee with an appreciative hum to Zeph - honestly, it will be necessary for the days ahead, while they turn this hunk of cliffside into the vision that Nate and Sunjata had in their minds. And the group shows, the witch offering each of them warm smiles, along with the crew of dock workers they've rallied together. "Thanks for coming, everyone. So this is going to be for Sunjata and Nate, when they return. We're going to dig out the cliff and build the house right into it. There will be two wings - one for government related activity, and another will be their home."
And if they can't envision it yet, that's okay - because before they can build, they have to dig. "Everyone, you'll be split into groups with a few of these strapping lads." Vai jabs a finger to the workers. "Use whatever means you can to get the stone out of the cliff - and try to be a bit neat about it. Some mess won't matter, but the less we make, the less to clean up after!"
So this PQ will take place over a few days, because... HOUSE BUILDING.
The first day is dedicated to hollowing out the shape of the house from the cliff. Each character is assigned some dock workers to take orders from them to get this done.
Please direct your workers accordingly and use the best means you can think of to get rid of the stone!
I never had a chance to be soft I was always bloody knuckles
Digging into the cliffside. Leave it to both of them to make even building a house complicated.
If Melita had any other scruples or abilities at her disposal for the task, she might be less irritated about it. However, she lacked magical incantations (earth enchantments would do wonders here, likely capable of carving into the hillside with little effort), and she had no predilection towards summoning a god or a herald to take care of the task. Her arrows and staff weren’t suitable here.
Just damned hard work.
She rolled up her sleeves, and grabbed ahold of a shovel, snickering a little at the poor workers assigned to her. “Looks like we’re going to be digging.” A ruffian smirk, and a sharp inhale, and off they went, to carve their portion of the hillside – shovels pinpointed into the ground, strength eager and ready to adhere, to alleviate dirt, loam, and stone.
--
Mel’s going for the good old fashioned way of digging with shovels!
and shards of glass I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me
Ray nodded and gathered her team together. Heading towards their assigned location, she quickly began organizing. She took a piece of chalk and marked out the border of where they needed to dig. Once she was done she turned to her team. "Aright. So we need to take our shovels and pickaxes and carve out a house from this cliff. It's stone so be careful. Divide up into three groups. One group will dig, the second will clear the stone debris and place them in a single pile to the side. The third group will be on break. We'll rotate every hour or so. Sound good? Alright let's get to it." Ray quickly set to work carving into the cliffside with her shovel. It was back-breaking work but the rotating system seemed to be working in keeping morale and productivity high. Hopefully this part wouldn't take too long. But regardless it would likely be the most physically taxing.
r a y
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.
—Albert Camus
11-13-2020, 07:08 PM (This post was last modified: 11-13-2020, 07:08 PM by Zephyr.)
There's gonna come a day when you'll feel better
You'll rise up free and easy on that day
Let's build a house into the cliffside, they said. What could possibly be wrong with that idea? they said.
What a pretentious gods-damned idea. Maybe the cliffs will crumble down and crush them in the night.
You say none of these things aloud, but you certainly think them, especially as you pick up a pickaxe, not even trying to hide your dislike. You've taken your men from their normal tasks to build a palace for two children playing at king, and yeah, you're more than a little salty about it. So maybe you put in a little less effort than the others - you have a bum arm, after all. And maybe the plans you draw up for your group of workers includes a couple tunnels and panels you won't necessarily share the existence of with Vervain- hey, you've never promised to be anything other than what you are. Business is business, and there's no world in which you're doing all this without some benefit to yourself.
Zeph's group is going to try to plan out a secret tunnel through the mountain. Discreetly.
And yes, he's whistling the song.
And float from branch to branch, lighter than the air
Just when that day is coming, who can say?
With two volunteers grumbling their way through the task (you know who you are) and the other going at it with the sort of easy focus that leaves Vai slack-jawed, you dig. All damned day, you dig, with shovels and pickaxes and whatever might be at your disposal. As well as with her own group of workers, Vai makes herself available to heal any who get into trouble, to offer breaks and food and water and anything else that might be needed.
And it all goes relatively smoothly, all things considered. Ray will find her workers respond very well to the rota, and they carve their way into the cliffside with little complaint and little trouble. The same can be said of Melita and her gang, though the going is much slower. Zephyr, though? Well, there's a price to be paid for going off plan, and he'll find that whilst his secret tunnels are in place, he doesn't actually get much of the actual house dug out.
Vai breezes through (literally) at the end of the day, using her air manipulation to clear out dust and debris and to clear the site for the evening. "Thanks, everyone!" She grins. "We'll meet back here tomorrow, bright and early."
And you're all dismissed to go home - apart from the dock workers, who stay behind to finish Zeph's portion of the work. Good job.
Day Two arrives with more fine weather, and along with the dock workers (now tired and upset) there are a few carpenters, a great deal of lumber, and tools. "We're going to make the framework for the walls and rooms today," Vai announces, having no idea how house building works but omg roll with it guys.
It's Day Two, and the following tasks are available for you and your groups of workers!
- Sawing the lumber to appropriate sizes for the frames
- Constructing the frames using the tools that have been brought (hammers, nails, etc.)
- Getting the frames into position in the areas you have dug out!
The dock workers are not gruntled, today. They are Disgruntled. They will be more difficult to order around.
I never had a chance to be soft I was always bloody knuckles
Another day gone, with blistered hands for Vai to take care of, and the youth returned the next day with far better gloves, and the might, determination, settled into her soul. Perhaps she’d gotten over her spat with Sunjata. Perhaps she’d been too exhausted the evening before to even think about it or wake up cranky the next dawn. Perhaps she was a mercurial little thing, and there was no telling what would shift or change her mood.
Likely the latter, anyway.
Her eyes went to the dock workers, offering them portions of food she’d brought (snacks, really, she’d snagged along the marketplace), hoping it would alleviate the grumpy atmosphere. Not intending to contribute to it, the honeybee and her gourd surveyed the necessities, tasks, and tools for the day – and eventually snagging at the saw.
If there was a mischievous grin settled on her features, with mere glances at the serrated edges, then so be it. “Let’s do some sawing!” With a triumphant glee settled into her movements and motions, she waited for the rest of the workers (hopefully the ones she’d bribed with treats and goodies) and began cutting into the lumber.
--
Melita picks sawing lumber, and attempts to bribe the dock workers into good spirits with food.
and shards of glass I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me
When Ray arrived she quickly noticed that her workers were nowhere near as energetic or eager a they were the day before. "Oh jeez, what happened already?" She asked one, quickly getting the run-down from one of her workers from the day before. Ray shook her head with a sigh. It was no wonder they were disgruntled. Seems like she'd have to make today as smooth for them as possible. "Well the good news is we're not digging today. We're constructing frames it seems." She led her group over to their assigned area. Ray quickly set out their materials for the day as well as some paper. "Here's a diagram of each type of frame we need to make as well as how many of each are required." She explained quickly pointing to and explaining each type of frame and what was required to build it. Once it was clear that everyone understood what needed to be done she continued.
"I'm thinking we should use a similar rotating system as the one from yesterday. There are four types of frames (roof, wall, door, and floor) so how about 8 groups? One group for each type of frame will work for an hour and then we'll switch to the second group for each type. The ones currently not working on the frames can gather any other materials or tools we need and spend the rest of their hour relaxing and snacking on the cookies I brought." Ray explained pointing to her bag that was filled with cookie tins. "Seems fair? Alright, let's get to it." Ray quickly set to work helping build the frames with the rest of the first rotation. The second rotation workers seemed relieved to be able to take quick naps.
Ray is using another rotating system to try and keep moral high. And she brought cookies.
r a y
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.
—Albert Camus
There's gonna come a day when you'll feel better
You'll rise up free and easy on that day
Maybe they're grumpy, but you're just as much of a grump, unshaven with your hair wild as you roll in for day two of Building What Is Definitely Not An Evil Lair, Even Though It Appears To Be Literally A Cave But Whatever, Batjata. At least it can't be said that you didn't stay as late as your men, or work as hard (ok that last bit is debatable), and this time you bring enough coffee and donuts for everyone.
So it's structure, and you're more than happy to fill in on filling in. Taking your beleaguered team along, you wait for Ray and her lads to finish a frame before hauling it into place, securing with rope and support beams as needed.
Zeph & team put frames in place. Zeph brought coffee and donuts
And float from branch to branch, lighter than the air
Just when that day is coming, who can say?
Vai splits her time between helping the various groups, and keeping an eye on Zeph, because whilst she loves her man to pieces, he's a fucking menace with things like this. She also helps to distribute snacks and food and drink among the workers, healing away blisters and splinters, and by the time the day is done, it's been very productive, all in all.
And the dockworkers, whilst initially resistant and grumpy, are quite thoroughly gruntled by the time it's all finished. It's amazing, what bribery and rotations will do, and this time around you all finish on time, too! "It's starting to really shape up," Vai congratulates them. "Take a day to yourselves, and we'll meet back here after that!"
So it goes. And in the time that the party takes off, carpenters and stone masons make more intricate work of the structure that they have started (these things take time and expertise, as we all know), and when the morning arrives for them to meet up once more, there's yet more to do.
Vai is surrounded by all manner of materials - wood, cloth, metal, pottery - and in place of the dockworers, she's roped in a locksmith, one of the carpenters, a potter and a seamstress.
"So far we've got a hole in the cliffside. Let's make it more like a house!" She grins.
Another day of house building ahoy!
There are four tasks available - Vai will take whatever is left:
- Work with the carpenter to construct doors and shutters
- Work with the seamstress to sew some drapes etc.
- Work with the potter to make some decorative mosaic
- Work with the locksmith to fit locks in the doors
Ray decided to join the seamstress for the day. She was used to sewing and cutting bandages for her herbal store. Ray figured she could use those basic skills to help with the drapes and other tapestries. Granted she'd never sewn anything beyond making bandages and mending her own clothes so who knows if she'd actually be of use.
"Good morning. I'm Ray, I'll be helping you out today. Just put me where you need me." She introduced herself to the seamstress. The seamstress instantly put Ray to work cutting shaping the cloth and materials. After everything was prepared she and the seamstress began to actually sew the pieces together to create wall-hangings, drapes, and other fabric based good for the house. Ray learned that sewing designs was incredibly difficult and she poked her hands and fingers more times then she could count. But she got the job done and it didn't look bad. It was nowhere near the level of the seamstress but her designs were simple, neat, and rather nice to look at. Ray was ridiculously proud and the seamstress seemed pleased. St the end of the day she bandaged her hands and had to soak them when she got home. She neve knew it was possible for the the small muscles in the hands could get so sore.
Ray is putting her bandage making experience to work and helping the seamstress.
r a y
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.
—Albert Camus
