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!
A cry, more of a snarl than anything, leaves Pet’s throat as Edy is blasted back and Neron attacked anew, though he has no solutions. Why change tactics when what hes doing is working, and when everyone else seems to be hitting their stride, or at least not in any immediate danger. Really, the only one he’s concerned about is Wessex, and there’s nothing he could do for her anyway.
So Peter focuses on the monsters before him slashing out again to keep them distant, to shred them to pieces. Anything to cut them down and destroy them, to keep them from attacking his family as much as he can.
Pet attacks cluster 4 again and tries to keep an eye on cluster 5
I’m sorry lover, I’m sorry I bring you down Well these days I try, and these days I tend to lie
Activating the temporary upgrade dazzles Wessex in a flare of light for a moment. Every bit of technology in her body fires on full blast for a moment, and the damage is undone. Ice sparkles out from the Queen's fingertips and erupts outward from Neron. The monsters are able to dodge the spikes that protrude from the hardened earth, but the missiles from Wessex find their way into modified flesh and pockets of skin. (W hits, N misses). There is no time in this chaos for Wessex to heal herself.
Cluster 2 is entirely decimated.
As Edrei loads the crossbow, it does exactly as it was meant to: the arrow is suddenly bathed in fire. As we all know, fire and ascended are not a good match. So as the Rapacious shoots the bolt, she finds that she has been quite burned by the weapon she had been holding. Worse, because she's an ascended. Luckily, her arrow just hits, and the largest monster is forced to feel her pain.
Peter lashes out again at the monster of cluster 4, though only his feet make an impact, rather than his claws. Still, it's better than nothing.
Now for the monster's turns.
Enraged at seeing yet another swath of their brethren decimated, cluster three attempts a new tactic. It is clear Wessex 's strengths (thus far) are tied to Neron...so why not separate them? Reaching out again, Cluster 2 will try and grapple Wessex...and again misses.
Invisibility is clever against those who rely on their sight. But so much of what motivates the monster hoards are driven by mechanisms so much more advanced than mere optics. Neron is not invisible to the monsters, and to prove this, cluster 5 tries to do what cluster 2 couldn't: if they couldn't pull Wessex away from Neron, they'd pull Neron away from Wessex. They grapple him with cables and wires that tangle around him, drawing him back and back and back...eliminating that precious 30ft distance needed for the Queen to steal his strength.
The largest monster continues to target Edy, fiery bitch she's proven to be. However their game of cat and mouse will continue as the blast goes wide.
And what of Peter's fate? He continues to prove himself more dexterous than the monsters give him credit for. As he kicks out at cluster 4, a clawed hand reaches out to slice off his leg, missing entirely.
Your randomly chosen initiative order is: Wessex, Neron, Edrei, Peter. You have 24 hours to respond, based on when the person before you posted.
Please keep your posts as concise and clear as possible. Remember, this is a KQ. You can spend words on introspection later. Keep things action-based, and refer to the KQ guide in the guidebook for information about our expectations.
If I don't specifically say how your character has evaded an attack, or where the damage is, feel free to add this flavour in yourself!
Ablaze with recovery, Wessex shines like a godsdamn beacon and manages to take out another cluster. The urge to flip off the L E A D monster is real and strong but before she can do that, Edy is actually ablaze and the Wraith ends up yelling her name instead. “EDY!” she screams, hoping to goddess that the woman (gasp!) is smart enough to engage her damage rejection upgrade. Wessex is so concerned (and perhaps guilty) that she bounds towards her once fuck-buddy and releases her claws, ready to defend the both of them from an attack with her very own hands and laser-filled eyes.
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Wessex mutters when she gets to her, through gritted teeth. The best of intentions, and all that, right? It's too bad they don't have time to reminisce about the last time Wessex tried to protect her.
---------------
Wessex releases her talons and runs towards Edy to try and protect her / intercept any attack that comes their way. If a monster gets within 30 feet of the two of them, she’ll also activate her laser eyes and try to aim for wherever the monster's “eyes” are.
Type: Dark
Prosthetic Claws | Three sharpened blades made of an unknown lightweight metal have been embedded in the skin of Wessex's hands. By flexing certain muscles in her arms and hands the blades can extend and retract.
Magic: Angry Eyes | Can shoot laser beams from her eyes. Target must be within 30ft. Deals heat damage to soft surfaces, with a 50% chance to disorient characters if the light goes in their eyes (a dex roll on her part). Can also cut through small objects, and heat medium-sized objects.
Type: Dark | Rank: Upgraded
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)
liars and lovers combine tonight, we're gonna make a scene
This is not going to plan, and if Neron were not so busy all of a sudden, he might have taken a moment to give himself a stern talking to. Alas, that is not the way of things, and as the Hailstorm is dragged back away from Wessex, away from the tether that allows her magical re-resonance, he finds himself invisible and alone. Oh, and Edrei is on fire.
It's the sight of his kin that gives him the idea, sickening and inspirational all in one, and though no one can see it, Neron is grinning fiercely where he's bound. "Alright then, burn," he hisses under his breath.
And he digs deep.
Deeper than he's ever done before, in fact, engaging with a part of himself that has been frozen in the depths of Halo, where he's grown his roots.
As far as he's able to reach, Neron engages with his illusion magic and around them, in a perfect 30ft circle, the world goes up in flames.
It isn't real, he sends to Wessex, attempting belatedly to avoid panic.
Neron uses his Upgraded Illusion in combination with his Halo Citizenship ability to upgrade it to Mastered. He creates the illusion of fire in a 30ft radius around them, hoping to scare away the clusters of monsters. He keeps his cloaking upgrade active.
Type: Dark
Cloaking Upgrade | A 90% body upgrade that bends light making the user invisible. Dramatic action or the use of weapons/upgrades/items makes the user 25% more visible. This translates to rolling disadvantage to hit the user in a battle.
Living in Halo means at some point you've digested a small amount of mageglass. As long as you live in Halo, you can increase one of your magics to a higher level, once per PQ/PQ+/KQ/Drop. (In order to use this ability, you must specify the magic to be increased at the bottom of the post in which it will be used.)
Illusion Upgraded form: Can create illusions within a 5ft radius
Example: Illusions seem realistic and can be large (so long as they are within a 5ft radius), combining multiple sensory effects (a candle that appears to burn seems to give off heat, light, and sound).
UPGRADES THIS POST TO:
Mastered form: Can create 100% compelling and complex illusions within a 30ft radius.
Example: Could make the immediate area appear to be covered in stars, could make someone appear as though they were covered in flames, etc.
'Fucking FUCK you fuck BITCH CUNT—' And on Edy goes, swearing up a storm before having the forethought to activate her upgrade. 'Queen or not, you fucking owe me a—' She starts to sass, before Neron lights the goddamn world on fire and Edy is fairly certain this is how they all go out. In one big non-orgy burst of flame.
Psst, can I have the ability of yours that...does the thing? The thing that killed the other group? Edy thinks loudly to Wessex, as if she were speaking to someone with low levels of comprehension. Wessex didn't hear her last time after all, so maybe she had to slow down and speak like this.
If yes, the Rapacious will sidle up to the queen, fangs bared, for either her wrist or neck. During those few seconds of drinking will Edy's hand reach for between the queen's thighs? You fucking know it.
Edy uses her temp. upgrade to reject the fire damage and asks Wessex if she can chomp on her for her splash-back damage. If yes, she'll take a bite (and a feel).
Instant damage rejection upgrade | When activated, this upgrade will allow the user to reject the last damage received. However monsters will have advantage against you for the next turn if you're targeted.
Even Peter is surprised by how wel he seems to be holding his own, a thought that flickers through his mind quickly before it’s gonna again, focus robbed by far important things. Perhaps it’s just some part of him unwilling to die without fighting back this time.
So many things happen at once, screaming and sudden raging fires, but there’s only so much Peter can do. Some part of him recognizes the tendrils as bad, realizes they must be trying to grab something, and he lashes out at them, meaning to sever them before they reach their target, whatever it may be.
Peter uses his upgrade to slash at the tendrils reaching for Neron from cluster 3
Nested Blade Bionic Upgrade (Upgraded) | A lightweight but strong blade is embedded in both forearms. When activated, articulates out and can be used offensively or defensively.
I’m sorry lover, I’m sorry I bring you down Well these days I try, and these days I tend to lie
Well it's an interesting bit of fuckery that happens next.
Peter tries to swipe at the group tugging at Neron, but he isn't fast enough (misses). That's probably okay though, given that Neron is suddenly encircled in flames, but having been dragged away from the group, it's now just he and cluster 5 in a panic-ring of illusory fire. Invisible, but still within the cluster's grapple, the monsters now hoard around Neron as if he might provide some defence against the ring of bright flames.
Cluster 4 takes advantage of Peter 's lack of attention on them, but their teeth and claws snap at nothing but air, perhaps due to the confusing and sudden presence of a ring of fire (they miss).
Where Edy previously missed, Wessex 's Angry Eyes pierce deep into the optical sockets of the largest monster as it continues to try and target the loudest Launceleyn. Screaming a cry that sounds like machine gears suddenly grinding to a halt, the monster staggers as the light not only super-heats its optical drives but disorients it as well.
That doesn't stop it from trying to attack though.
Swinging wildly at both Edrei and Wessex (read: with disadvantage), the swipes of its talons, claws, and teeth of various sizes go wild and wide as its circuits scramble to reset themselves.
Your randomly chosen initiative order is: Wessex, Neron, Edrei, Peter. You have 24 hours to respond, based on when the person before you posted.
Please keep your posts as concise and clear as possible. Remember, this is a KQ. You can spend words on introspection later. Keep things action-based, and refer to the KQ guide in the guidebook for information about our expectations.
If I don't specifically say how your character has evaded an attack, or where the damage is, feel free to add this flavour in yourself!
“A good cum?” she finishes for the screamer. “Yep.”
Luckily, Neron’s message rings where Edy’s originally didn’t and she’s not too concerned about him yet. She's confident he'll yell if he needs her. As Edy asks for a drink, she has to shake her head. It kills her to reject the request, it really does, but there are too many groups still, and they can’t afford to have two of them out at once right now - not to mention it would be a waste of Eirachi’s magic, which she’s just about ready to use. Not until we’re down to one or two. Keep moving until then, you’re faster than them. Go. Nudging her up and away, she tries to urge Edrei to remove herself as a target for the big guy. He should pick on someone his own size.
Facing the big monster, Wessex snarls and takes a moment to try and heal herself a bit before calling upon the magic she’s been hoarding for half a year now, that deep, vicious, power that makes her both nervous and terribly excited, like a bizarre crush. With the monster potentially disoriented, it feels like the right thing to do. Brace yourselves, she calls to her companions. I'm using Eirachi’s magic and I have no fucking clue what it’ll do.
Warning given, the Wraith throws everything she’s got in the Lead Monster’s face.
Go and learn about that.
-------------------
Wessex denies Edy’s drinking request for now and first tries to heal herself, then blasts the Lead Monster with a load of Eirachi’s magic, unused from measured and weighed
Magic: Healing | Minor cuts/abrasions/bruising heal nearly instantly. More severe injuries (broken bones, muscle tears, etc) heal at 50% the speed. During PQ+/KQs, heals at basic levels, with a chance to heal at higher levels depending on injury/luck.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
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)
liars and lovers combine tonight, we're gonna make a scene
You know, Neron might almost feel sorry for the weird little freaks as they cluster about him. That is, if he didn't really want them blown off the face of the earth. And so as they hoard, as things... happen... out there beyond where his attention span can care about, the Hailstorm draws his power close. And as soon as he drops his illusion magic, the water magic comes out in full flow.
He directs it out of him, hoping to skewer Cluster 5 with spikes of frigid ice - which is just about when Wessex's remark hits him. Wait, he begins, just about able to make sense of the words. Eirachi? She's going to use--
"Wessex, wait--!"
But of course, it's far too late for that.
Neron drops his illusion once Cluster 5 has gotten close enough, then targets them with his water magic in the form of icy spikes of doom.
He also warns Wessex about the whole Eirachi thing, not that it makes a difference.
Water manipulation: Can create and control water. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
Type: Dark
Cloaking Upgrade | A 90% body upgrade that bends light making the user invisible. Dramatic action or the use of weapons/upgrades/items makes the user 25% more visible. This translates to rolling disadvantage to hit the user in a battle.
Edy doesn't hear what Neron says, and so of course the ring of fire that encircles her kin has the younger Launceleyn flailing next to the queen. "NERON!" She screams, and though it isn't the first time she's yelled out the former Warden's name at the top of her lungs, it's the first time she's done so with the word laced in fear. "We have to get him out of there!" Edy croons. Reckless in her love for her family and having been denied the boon of Wessex's magic, Edy runs toward Neron's ring of fire.
Which disappears.
Standing stupidly as ice spikes erupt from the ground with Neron nowhere to be seen, Wessex 's words ring with terrifying ambiguity in her mind. What the fuck was an eirachi?
Hearing Neron 's warning, Edy does what she always does by default: tries to blow some shit up.
If any of the monsters are within 20ft of her, she'll target one of them with
Type: Dark
Sound Combustion Upgrade | Can cause objects to explode by expanding sound waves within an object, increasing the amount of pressure until they burst open. Can shatter medium or small non-organic items. (Upgraded)
There is so much happening around him Peter can only focus on flashes, can only grasp meaning from every other word, from tone. His blades miss, much to his irritation, and the group that had been menacing him originally draws his attention back, blades once more lashing out at them.
Flames die, leaving behind spikes of ice that Pet can only assume come from Neron, an assumption that grows more likely when he hears the voice, the warning, hand in hand with the Queen’s voice in his head. Whatever is about to happen seems bad, and he tries to ready himself to move, to grab Edy and pull them out of harms way.
Pet slashes at cluster 4 again, then tries to prepare to get out of the way of whatever Wessex is doing, meaning to drag Edy along with him if he has to.
Nested Blade Bionic Upgrade (Upgraded) | A lightweight but strong blade is embedded in both forearms. When activated, articulates out and can be used offensively or defensively.
I’m sorry lover, I’m sorry I bring you down Well these days I try, and these days I tend to lie
02-18-2021, 08:34 PM (This post was last modified: 02-18-2021, 08:36 PM by Court Official.)
key quest
Wessex takes a moment to heal herself, but unleash all mighty mother fucking hell. Or, if hell were frozen over.
Remember last time the Eirachi used her powers? And how an entire palace was destroyed? Well buckle the fuck up.
A blast of ice snarls from the demigoddess as the deepfrost deity's magic is finally used. It arcs forward toward the largest monster, piercing it with a blast of freezing energy that stops it dead in its tracks. Icicles form all over the creature, stunning it for this round (all attacks will hit).
But that isn't all that happens.
Ice covers the ground stretching out 60ft. It sends everyone to their knees, and worse, shards of ice radiate outward from Wessex striking comrades and foes alike. Neron, Peter, and Edrei are all blasted, as are the clustered monsters. Cluster 3 is the only one able to withstand the blast.
Everyone within the 60ft snowstorm will be slowed dramatically thanks to the sheer ice you can't quite get a good purchase of. Neron 's previous attack looks adorable in comparison with the wintery menace Wessex just deployed. Similarly, Peter slashes at the air as both he and Edy tumble to their knees.
Groaning as its circuits recalibrate, the largest monster for this round, does nothing.
Cluster 3 though? Cluster 3 now attacks Peter once again, and Edrei as well given his arms around her. Unable to move forward without skating around, the monsters flail shrapnel toward the two Launceleyns, striking them both.
Once again Edy is killed by an unpredictable turn of events, and Peter dies in the arms of...well, if not someone who loves him, someone with dark curly hair at least.
Your randomly chosen initiative order is: Wessex, Neron, Edrei, Peter. You have 24 hours to respond, based on when the person before you posted.
Please keep your posts as concise and clear as possible. Remember, this is a KQ. You can spend words on introspection later. Keep things action-based, and refer to the KQ guide in the guidebook for information about our expectations.
If I don't specifically say how your character has evaded an attack, or where the damage is, feel free to add this flavour in yourself!
With great power comes great responsibility, or something like that. Did she sacrifice her own for the sake of getting rid of the monsters? Possibly. Or maybe the Wraith is quite simply, like everyone else, flawed. Destruction roars from her body and she’d honestly thought her siblings able to withstand it, but when it’s done and she turns to them, the sight of two crumpled bodies makes her fluid run cold.
“No…” she says to the frigid, crackling air, trying to slide her way over to the three of them. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no.” Maybe Peter can come back from this - he hasn’t lit himself up yet. But Edy?
That kind of guilt will layer itself on top of Clem’s death and create a nice little emotion-shit sandwich later. But like any good fighter, she shoves that down into her bowels and through the horror, sees the need to keep going. Wessex tosses Neron the adrenaline booster (for himself? To try and do… what?) and then does her best to defend Neron and the two bodies with her talons and her Angry eyes again because no, she can’t look at Neron right now). “Energy boost.” An implication that he can take a moment. He’ll need it for whatever comes next. There will be no scavenging of parts, no pillaging of their upgrades - not while Wessex still stands.
--------------------------
Wessex slides over to the trio and gives Neron the adrenaline booster. Does a repeat of intercepting any attacks/defending with her talons and angry eyes if either Cluster 3 or the Lead Monster try to attack the group.
Type: Grey
Manufactured Adrenaline | a syringe containing a daily dose of adrenaline. Can be used once per thread. Raises all stats by 1 for one post and increases an ascendeds other senses for the duration of the thread.
Magic: Angry Eyes | Can shoot laser beams from her eyes. Target must be within 30ft. Deals heat damage to soft surfaces, with a 50% chance to disorient characters if the light goes in their eyes (a dex roll on her part). Can also cut through small objects, and heat medium-sized objects.
Type: Dark | Rank: Upgraded
Type: Dark
Prosthetic Claws | Three sharpened blades made of an unknown lightweight metal have been embedded in the skin of Wessex's hands. By flexing certain muscles in her arms and hands the blades can extend and retract.
liars and lovers combine tonight, we're gonna make a scene
You're the head of the family now.
Hadn't Edrei told him something like that the last time they'd spoken? Not the head of the Ascended family, of course not. But the Launceleyns? The elder twin and all that? Sure, he supposes it's true.
And when the world goes white and the clusters of monsters fall, and his systems howl their protest at the damage they're sustaining, Neron already knows. He knows what he'll see when his vision finally clears, and he's not having any of it.
His fingers are too numb to catch the adrenaline boost anyway, but it wouldn't have worked regardless - his hands are already full.
"No," he says, already on the move to a broken form that's been broken once already by the world. "No. We did not come this far to die now."
And so in what might be the most selfless thing the Hailstorm has ever done in his life, he uses one upgrade to completely wink out of sight.
Neron runs to Edrei and gives her his damage negation upgrade to shrug off the fatal damage she took.
The invisibility upgrade is used on himself.
Modular Invisibility Upgrade | When activated, this upgrade will allow the user to become temporarily invisible to the LongNight monsters for 2 rounds of combat. You are still visible to everyone else.
Instant damage rejection upgrade | When activated, this upgrade will allow the user to reject the last damage received. However monsters will have advantage against you for the next turn if you're targeted.
