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!
Dig dig dig. Whether it's digging down, or digging up (because filling in a hole is like digging up and the author of this post will die on that hill), the beach is soon filled with the sound of shovels hitting sand. And then shovels hitting... wood? Or brass? Or... well. Whatever seems to suit those digging, honestly.
Each door will be unique to those who find it, appearing either at the bottom of the hole, or miraculously in the sand where the hole used to be! How curious.
And upon opening it?
Well, the diggers will regrettably find themselves tumbling right back out where they came from. Better luck next time, kids.
And those who filled their holes in? They'll find themselves climbing down a ladder, deep down and into the darkness. Soon enough the shadows are punctuated by a soft glow - fireflies, if one looks close but made of assorted jewels; rubies and diamonds and sapphires. Here beneath the beach, some remarkable sandy tunnels have formed. The group huddles, and will find that they have two directions to choose from.
Do you go left through the tunnels, or right? Make your individual decision!
Lena, Delphine, Delta and Ray are out and do not need to reply again. Sorry kids!
Wessex, Samuel, Belril are out, but due to their citizenship ability, have another chance at this drop, and so they also arrive with the "in" group. They have 48 hours to respond!
What good are hands if there's nothing that they hold
'Zeph?' Because if the man is dating Vai, that sort of makes him one-step removed from being Mateo's grandfather. Sort of. Though maybe not really at all. Remi also recognizes Hester and Amun, not that he pays the ascended much mind, though he does offer a weak smile to the attuned as he and his son suddenly find themselves moving down a ladder.
"Your father is going to kill me for this." He sweetly sings under his breath, pressing a kiss to Mateo's head of curls. "Well, you got us this far. What say you? Right? Or left?" In his arms Mateo's small and chubby fists flail wildly, offering absolutely no help when it comes to picking a direction. "I see you've inherited my sense of direction. That's alright. Let's go spy on Zeph." Said in a sing-song voice, Remi dramatically begins to 'stealth' after Zephyr, which causes his son to cackle in merry enjoyment.
Remi and Mateo go whichever way Zeph goes (don't hate me)
And what good are hearts if you bury them all alone?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Welp, here's hoping this peaceful moment last. Don't expect it to.
The ground broke below him, he hit wood, and the teen thought he had reached the treasure below...but his eyes widened as the hole began to widen further and further without help. Whatever support there was there had just given way! He tried to climb up, even using the shovel as a way to try to pull himself up, but the ground fully gave under his weight and he tumbled into the open hole below as bits of the door that broke under his feet scratched at him...
...during the fall, a ladder emerges nearby, allowing him to grab hold tight and stop his fall with both hands before hooking his feet onto it as well. "That was close," he said with a gulp before he noticed something peculiar.
He was already at the ladder's top, even though the hole was way above...wait, what hole? Belril had looked up to see the opening he fell through shrink shut in front of his eyes, widening in surprise. "I...guess there's no way to go, but down," Belril said as he began to move down...
---------------
He soon stepped on what felt like hard ground, causing him to look down to see sandstone beneath his feet. Once his feet were solid on the ground, he finally let go of the ladder and stood on his own again. He glanced back up before muttering to himself, "I wonder who else made it here?"
A flickering of light caught his eye, prompting him to turn, but what he saw confused him. It was a firefly, down here, but it was made of...gemstones? Belril suddenly became nervous at the sight...for it usually meant one thing. "Did the gods make this place," he asked in concern, gulping as he followed the firefly out of the spot to see at least one other nearby. If the gods, specifically the old gods, were behind this place, the odds were against him getting out of here in one piece...and that wasn't a comforting thought.
He then began to see others gathering in one spot in front of two pathways on the opposite side of everyone, though he stayed hidden in his own tunnel for the moment. He began to watch as everyone else began to pick their paths, especially Wessex. He didn't want her to worry about him, at least not yet.
As soon as the 'Queen of the Hollowed Grounds' moved into one of the paths, Belril would dip into the other pathway to better guaranteed the chance of someone from the place he was growing to call home getting through more of this...
Belril is moving to the opposite tunnel that Wessex is going into for this round.
To whomever’s asked her - Wessex has no idea what’s going on, only that when weird things happen in Caido, you show up. And sometimes you get rewarded. She digs, a door appears, and when she opens it, she ends up climbing down a ladder with some other people. The connection of the digging and the filling doesn’t register much, so the Wraith (naturally) thinks she’s made the right choice. There are tunnels and fireflies and another choice to make. After a look right and then left, and seeing that no one else has made a choice yet, the Wraith goes left, heading cautiously down one of the tunnels.
Aisha filled in until her hands could no longer do the trick. Begrudgingly she picked up the shovel (her decided enemy) and used it so shovel more dirt into the hole she'd chosen. Some more familiar faces appeared on the beach, but once again she wasn't bothered with trying to speak to them; some things that happen in Caido just happen, probably the biggest take away from her first year here.
She was curious of course, and even more so when she found that upon the now level ground there formed a door. Hope this doesn't kill me, she grumbled cynically, before opening the door and walking through. There's a ladder leading down, and with a humph she starts making her way down. She hit the floor after a bit, and found that luckily, nobody was dead! Instead she found herself in a tunnel system, little sand particles rain from the ceiling now and then.
There are less of them here than there was above, she sure fuckin hoped they weren't dead cause there wasn't much to be done for them now. She shot some of the others a quick glance, acknowledging that nobody had a clue what was going on, but that the choices here were clear. Left or right. The swordswoman glanced both ways, but noticed a flicker to the right, a soft yellow citrine hue.
She would've noticed some the other way too, but this specific jewel bug had caught her attention first, and so she followed it to the right, forging the way for any who wanted to follow.
Aisha goes right
fear has the sharpest teeth, it eats and eats and eats
And so she finds her way, digging up from the ground until she is climbing down. The ladder is tough and sturdy beneath her grip as she descends, giving herself to what unfolds. The others are there, too, though not all of them - and she took notice of that. Some faces, unfamiliar as they were, were missing. Sucking in a deep breath, Aurelia moved on. Something beckoned her, pulled her forward to make another decision, and she rose to the occasion.
A red glow upon her facial features made her pause, eyeing the red, bejeweled firefly as it passed. She turned her head, watching it flutter into one of the tunnels. There was no true right or wrong, only a choice.
The tunnels haunted along either side of her and, for a moment, she hesitated. Others chose their routes quicker than she could, with more resolve or more curiosity - whatever it be. She glanced back towards the others, to the small group assembling there before it would split apart. Then she wandered into one of the sandy corridors, silently treading past. Since up was down, perhaps left was right.
i am the ocean, crawling madly at your moon.
and with one wanton whoop —
The door, which he couldn't quite understand the positioning of, was certainly ominous. Doors in beaches at night were clearly a bad idea, but Sam supposed he'd gotten this far...taking the first rung of the ladder in his hands, he was swiftly heading down the ladder and into the darkness, trying not to let his imagination make too many monsters in the surrounding dim corners.
What he could see, just a flash, was someone that looked like Aisha, walking in the tunnels before him. Desperate for some company, especially someone he trusted, Sam immediately headed after her, trying to only focus on his goal and not the walls of the tunnel around him.
---
Sam goes right.
— i melt into a sycophantic soup,
& all that's left to do, is giggle, fawn, and swoon.
Thankfully, filling in the hole seemed to be the right thing to do. Or at least, Amun found himself descending the rungs of a ladder, which he'd assume meant he did something right. Grinning at the much smaller group that found themselves in a forking tunnel.
He looked between the two options, but nothing jumped out at him. As Wessex went left, he shrugged and headed right, trailing behind Sam. We'll check out this direction and let you know what we find, Princess. With that, the potter caught up to the bookmaker, clasping his shoulder. "Any idea what's going on here?" Smiling, the advisor dropped his hand and headed down the tunnel.
The world is new to you, and you to it. During PQ/PQ+/KQs/Drops, you roll with advantage on luck-based rolls and receive an extra name during drops. (In order to use this, make sure to note the ability at the bottom of each post)
Twisty turny, choices to make! The sandy tunnels wind and seemingly cross over each other in places, though the two groups - left and right - will never meet. Strange, really. Still, as all things must, this comes to an end eventually.
Those who decided to go left will be faced with a big, grand door. And when they open it, wouldn't you guess? Yep - they're spat out right where they started, regardless of whether or not they went through together.
And the group that went right? Well, they come face to face with a sheer wall strung with thick net. No way left, no way right any longer. Just up.
And when they get to the top? The group haul themselves onto a flat platform, covered in heaps of the same kind of net they just climbed. Within it is a harsh glow - fish, of all things, pulsing and glowing within the netting.
The people she knew most intimately gravitated her way, the boy, the bookmaker and the potter. And Aisha of course, brows furrowed and with an urgency that could only be defined as confused bullheadedness, following the glowing beetle until it blinked out of existence. At that point she finally slowed and turned around to see the three with her, pausing at Amun's question.
Her reply, a simple shrug, she was just moving. Always moving, always something to move towards (or away from depending on how you look at it). "I guess let's keep going," she grumbled, turning back around and continuing down the tunnel corridor, at a slower pace now as she decided to stick with her group.
At the end of their tunnel there was netting, the only way forward was up, and so the girl began to climb, glancing back to make sure her friends were following. It wasn't too hard to get to the top, and once she was there they were met with a wide platform and a blaring light. Nostrils flared and eyes squinted she took a moment to adjust, eyes cast down at the source of the light.
Under more netting there was a amalgam of slippery creatures, glowing and thrashing and getting caught within the twine. If they were normal fish she would've left, but nothing about this was normal, and they reminded her of the fireflies that had brought her this way. A sigh, this would either be a great idea or a bad one, Aisha grew a black leopard's claw at her fingertip and sliced at some of the netting, hoping to free some of the glow fish.
Aisha tries freeing the fish!
fear has the sharpest teeth, it eats and eats and eats
The small group wandered through the tunnels until they reached a steep wall with netting on it. Shrugging, Amun climbed it, his old days as a sailor climbing the rigging coming in handy. When they emerged on the platform, he glanced around, then frowned at the fish below.
He opened his mouth to warn Aisha, then snapped it closed. Generally speaking, unless he knew why something was glowing, he avoided it. Spontaneous combustion or worse and all that. So he left her to her devices and meandered ahead. He had to pick his steps carefully to avoid getting tangled in the netting that was strewn about.
Amun goes across the platform.
The world is new to you, and you to it. During PQ/PQ+/KQs/Drops, you roll with advantage on luck-based rolls and receive an extra name during drops. (In order to use this, make sure to note the ability at the bottom of each post)
i am the ocean, crawling madly at your moon.
and with one wanton whoop —
They continued, a strange procession, though Sam supposed he was glad that the group he'd found himself within consisted of people that as far as he knew, liked him (a rare thing nowadays). When they came to the sheer wall he looked left and right in desperation, not wanting to have to climb, with little faith in even his Ascended-boosted strength and agility, but it did seem they had no option.
Sighing, he began, trying not to wail too loudly any time he lost his footing. Eventually, thankfully, he was at the top, pushing himself up and looking forward to the pulsing mass of fish beneath the net. Sam was stuck staring, unsure of what to do, as he saw Amun walk forwards; he wanted to follow, but something about the helpless creatures stung at his heart. Looking to Aisha, at how she was helping, he knew he couldn't just leave; he rolled up his sleeves and began to work at it too, helping to detangle them from the netting.
=====
Sam tries to free the fish.
— i melt into a sycophantic soup,
& all that's left to do, is giggle, fawn, and swoon.
Welp, here's hoping this peaceful moment last. Don't expect it to.
Belril gulped at having to climb, cheating a tiny bit by using his cueless magic to keep his joints from hurting during such exertions. Pulling himself up to what looked to him like a solid platform comprised of the same netting he pulled himself up, he was somewhat horrified to see so many fish caught in the webbing.
However, he saw that two of the four in this group had already started to help out the trapped creatures, so Belril followed after Amun. He had a weird feeling that this entire thing was one of the gods' games and he wanted to make sure at least one person reached the end of it. He looked up towards Amun, before asking the Ascended, "Are the gods known for playing pranks on people?"
Belril sees that the fish have enough help so far, and so is crossing over the platform while asking Amun a question.
Some cross, some stay. The luminous fish wiggle and swim towards the hands that try to free them, and as they find sweet liberation from the nets, they swim about Samuel and Aisha and lead them away, deep, deep into the dark.
For those who cross the platform, they will find the light of the fish soon all swallowed up - it's almost dark enough that they bump into the (yep, you guessed it) door in the middle of the shadows. Upon opening the platform, those who made this choice will find themselves tumbling back out where they started, So close, but no cigar!
The fish drift dreamily through the air, guiding the way until the group is faced with a large, sheer wall. Black as pitch, words still stand out in silvery light as the fish swim across it.
What do you desire most?
Answer the question!
Aisha and Samuel are in and have 48 hours to respond!
Belril is out and does not need to reply again. Sorry!
Amun is out, but due to their citizenship ability, have another chance at this drop, and so they also arrive with the "in" group. They have 48 hours to respond!
