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!
02-08-2021, 02:29 PM (This post was last modified: 02-08-2021, 02:29 PM by Samuel.)
Samuel
There was something quite satisfying in stepping back and seeing the walls in their place, neat and straight and solid - had this house not been destined for destruction, Sam might have even thought it quite a nice place to live, with a few adjustments. "Are...we putting models of people in here, to tempt them in? Or just hoping they'll stop by? Or...is someone acting as a decoy?" He asked to no one in particular, glancing about anxiously at the last possibility.
Praying he wouldn't be suggested as monster meat, Sam went to help with the doors. Went with the work on the walls, after all, and Wessex seemed to have the roof handled with her crew; something that required precision and keeping his feet right on the ground felt much more right. While he was a wimpy bookmaker, in the last years he'd helped to build and construct a lot of things; Sam was handy enough with hinges and hammers by now.
and I've only got my brittle bones to break the fall
It's starting to take shape, and Aamu takes a moment to bundle up his long and wild hair, rolling it into a tight bun against his head and sticking a long nail through it. It's still messy and falling in tendrils about his face, but it's less annoying than having it everywhere else too.
Without saying much about the new directions he follows Sam to the doors, bringing saw and timber so that they can shape the frame and fit snugly into the wall. He leaves the talk of chimneys to those who know these houses best—it's not an unreasonable idea. "I suspect Wessex might use herself as a decoy," he murmurs to Sam as they work, neither judging nor approving of her decision, should it indeed come to that.
Come sit right here and sleep while I slip poison in your ear
Reality for a house set to burn hastened more thoughts, and she had to ponder, wonder, in all her wisdom of seventeen years and hiding from monsters in her family’s home. The anxiety and trepidation from Samuel was a palpable thing too – but something they could fend off, for some moments thereafter, if the notions would set him at ease.
She made no mention of Wessex as a lure or decoy (nor had she heard Aamu's whisper). She didn’t even know who was meant to be that unfortunate volunteer.
“Let’s make a chimney,” and she nodded towards the crew, aiming with her intentions of joining amongst the ladder, laying out the slant, the wood, the beams. “And we can construct some decoys when we finish the exterior.” Hoping that assuaged some of the fears, she and the rest set to work.
Before terribly long, considering the amount of people hastening to work all at one time, the doors were complete – straight and across from one another as indicated – the roof placed, and she hastened down the ladder. “All right. Let’s lay out the hay and other incendiary devices inside. Sam, if you want, you can work on the lures.” Her eyes took in their supplies, figuring he’d be able to make some effigy-like figures. If anyone else wanted to assist him, they could do so. “What about lining it with snow moss too, to make it somewhat believable?”
--
Next tasks:
- Samuel to make his decoys
- The rest to lining the house with hay, snow moss, and anything else brought.
Yeah, they were all probably right about who would be the unfortunate volunteer. Or the one to run into the building - however this week plays out, she’s already committed herself in her head to that kind of thing if necessary.
So they make a chimney and then the question of decoys comes up and the Wraith is more than a little hesitant to say that yes, they should be people. How realistic should it be? How smart - or maybe the better question - how stupid would the monsters be? Her experiences have run the gamut from muttering, enraged, but ultimately child-like to sophisticated and clearly capable of trapping and killing two powerful demigods.
The machiavellian nature of last LongNight and the way the Monsters broke Rory’s dishes, what happened when they got into the Rathskellar make her shake her head. “I’m sorry, I was wrong, I think -” she starts “when I said simple would be enough. Thinking about it, it seems like they’re used to human things - intimidating and scaring people by fucking with their stuff. I think we’ll have to make this look lived-in.” After all, if one figures it out, they’ll all figure it out.
“Sam, could you maybe source some furniture and household items?” It’s still essentially a decoy, just not human shaped. “They can help.” Indicating the crew, she gives Sam full permission to tell them what to do and what kind of things he’d like to ‘decorate’ the house with. Sorry, she offers solely to Mabel, you’re doing good, I’m not trying to take over. Really, she isn’t.
With that apology, Wessex sets herself to stuffing a generous amount of the flammable snow moss under particularly squeaky bits of floor.
Pleased to see that his idea hadn't been wrong, Sam nodded when Wessex told him to set it up - he'd been expecting to be led by Mabel, but he wasn't really in a position (nor the mood) to contest leadership right now. "I'll have to come back, but I know what I'll need. Some old clothes, straw, some sticks...and I can get the furniture as well. I'll just need to make some trades." This was all thankfully very much within his abilities, Sam's connections within the marketplace one of the few things he felt he could bring to the team.
In the meantime, he walked about the house to judge where things ought to go, how much furniture they needed. There wasn't much point in kitting it out with the best of the best, so he'd only buy large, cheap pieces. Wardrobes, chests, maybe an old chair; enough to make it look like someone had used the house, but he doubted the monsters were going to inspect the house looking for personal clutter or pictures.
--
Sam makes a note ofwhat he needs to get for the decoys/furniture and will do it when he has the stuff (assume the night after)
and I've only got my brittle bones to break the fall
It's looking uncannily much like a house now. Seems a shame to burn it down, but some things exist just to be destroyed. He listens in thoughtful silence, fingers linked together and head slightly bowed. Simple, but believable. What about their sense of smell? Would leaving the Molotovs in there put them off from coming in? It's not your standard household item. Better stash them in surrounding ruins. "I'll make the flaming flasks before LongNight," he decides, "and stash them in the surrounding ruins."
He's not sure about lining a house that's supposed to be lived in with hay, but supposes it might do some to isolate against the cold—or would, if you stacked it to the ceiling.
They don't have enough to stack it to the ceiling.
So instead he does bits and bobs. Helps Wessex stuff some snowmoss around doorframes and under floorboards, places in some bales of hay where it seems it might get drafty, and places one (carefully lidded) jug of oil indoors. It might be nice fuel if it gets smashed.
Aamu does a bit of this and that, helping with snowmoss, putting in some hay and a jug of oil
Come sit right here and sleep while I slip poison in your ear
It came together, roughly, and though Wessex pinpointed her measures within Mabel’s head, the girl couldn’t help feeling discouraged. She fought it off with a nod, trying to best gauge where to go from here. So she lined it along as best she could too, snow moss gathered along the seams and edges, hay made to somehow seam within insulation purposes, tucked along the walls.
Samuel would ensure the furniture, the decoys, would come along. Aamu would set the flaming flasks.
And then, she wasn’t certain what was left to consider. Were there more last minute adjustments? Any other information? Somewhat at a loss, the house constructed and built, and now just the wait. The inevitable swing of LongNight approaching, and damning.
Hopefully their efforts would lead to something beneficial.
With that, the youth curled her hands together, nodding in approval. “I think that does it. Thank you everyone for helping.”
And then they’d be allowed to dissipate, to conduct themselves, the house hopefully appearing lived in, viable, for the coming of days.
