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!
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
It didn’t work.
None of it did.
There, in the dark, scratched, doors slammed shut behind them, the fear trickled down the back of her spine. In between the cluster of whispers, the mocking laughter, she couldn’t see anything. Couldn’t hear any of the ones they’d chased after. “I’ll try again,” she whispered in return to Anju, trying to not lose whatever amount of hope she had remaining in her steadfast, stalwart heart. We couldn’t get to you. Do you know where you are? Or what you can see around you? she called again to Remi – uncertain if there were any identifying factors nearby. The rest of them would be familiar enough with the Temple to take in some notions - in theory.
With the basket still clutched along her arm, she reached in for more bandages, offering them to Anju once more, and began to cover up her marks as well.
--
Lena tries to communicate with Remi again about their location.
Lena tries to bandage herself up and give some to Anju.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
working the goldfields on the high sierras the early snow began to fall
A scratch is truly not as bad of an injury as the rest of them, and yet she doesn’t know the severity of the claws that have lashed out at everyone else other than Remi. All she can do is utter a hiss, stilling herself to try and make herself as small as possible, Levi settling on her shoulders with his tiny teeth bared, searching for anything.
So with the repercussions over her answer, she tries to spy Remi, hearing a rustling of noise from all corners, under her feet, behind the pillars in the dark, and she wonders if she’ll lose the Lullaby and have to be trapped within this horror alone until it’s over. But she doesn’t want to interrupt whatever is happening, trying to remain as close to Remi as she can with a tremble to her spine. She tries to answer again, now that she knows better. “If he cannot be saved then he must be destroyed.” She calls out to the voice, hoping that it might make the chittering stop.
Sera tries to answer correctly this time >_> and tries to stay near Remi so she isn’t lost.
buried treasure for my darling under redwood trees so tall
04-25-2021, 06:55 PM (This post was last modified: 04-25-2021, 06:55 PM by Court Official.)
key quest
Anju and Lena say nothing to the voices, and nothing is what they receive in return. Which, considering their luck so far, might be considered a very good thing. Still, Riya (try though she might) is unable to penetrate the darkness with the flames from her maw, and their companions are lost to them. Not for long, though.
"Lullaby." It hisses through the temple like a shudder down the group's collective spine; a sound with teeth. "You lie." Whatever resides here knows the purpose of Ludo's demigod, and causing suffering is not part of the deal.
Still, let them decide.
Candles sputter to life in a line towards the altar of the temple, revealing the party to each other, and also the man they would torture and destroy. Gideon, broken and beaten and surrounded by smashed vials of a curious, translucent fluid, has clearly earned the ire of the creatures in the dark.
"Prove it, then," the voices growl, aimed at Remi and Seraphina.
Gideon has been revealed, and the entity within the Trinity Temple urges Remi and Seraphina to make good on their answers, to make him suffer and die.
You have 48 hours. So that nothing is missed, please include a quick summary at the bottom of your post, including any items or abilities you have used.
04-25-2021, 07:00 PM (This post was last modified: 04-25-2021, 07:00 PM by Gideon.)
"We were born sick", you heard them say it
He was laid across the Altar with his head hanging over one side, still alive but barely conscious. His own blood mixed with the fluid surrounding him on the surface, something he would consider a blasphemy if he was awake enough to see it. As it was, all Gideon could do was flinch at the sudden light in his sore eyes and look up at the intruders to his Temple; time had become unimportant in the spirit's punishment - he did not know how long it had been.
"...I.." He began to croak out, shaking hand attempting to reach out over the altar and falling flat down on the top, knocking off a plate. The Priest, usually so well put together and neat, had a ripped robe and blood swelling under the skin around his eyes for his transgression; what had it been? That was between him and those that would judge him.
Unawares of what the newcomers had been tasked with, all Gideon did was watch, dead eyes with a spark of something aware of the danger deep in them.
Admittedly she’s grateful that the creature is focusing on Remi, and whatever the hell it was he said to piss the thing off and call him a liar. She’s more concerned with how disconnected she feels from Riya, and the oppressive darkness that even her fire cannot penetrate. Until all at once it is gone, revealing Gideon prostrate and pretty fucked up on the altar.
As soon as the entity speaks the Anju immediately grabs for Lena, hoping to hold tight to her arms and restrain her in a facsimile of a hug; a true one, if the girl turns into her shoulder to look away from what Anju is confident will happen. Whatever Remi does, she can’t allow the girl to try and intervene or beg for the man to be saved again. She has shielded her thus far, and won’t stop now. “Don’t move,” she commands in a voice rough with exertion. “Let him die.” Said both to Lena and to the room at large. Gideon doesn’t matter to her, and as a follower of Ludo herself, there is no fear on his behalf; Remi will unite him with Mort, and they can determine his sins later. Hopefully it will also appease the entity. One life versus four? It is easy math for someone like Anju.
Meanwhile she sends Riya towards the other two, fangs bared and ready to assist if they need her added might. Not that Anju thinks they will, but she feels otherwise useless holding Lena to her.
- - -
Anju grabs onto Lena with both arms as tight as she can to try and prevent her from going towards Gideon to help him. She then sends Riya towards Sera and Remi to be closer to help if things go south.
I am a kamikaze Lonelier than a patriarch labeled liar
Inside the main door. The one we tried to open first. Remi calls back to Lena, and though he can likely see in the dark better than the rest of them can (save for perhaps Lena and whatever shifts he might possess), the room is suddenly given enough light that they might understand slightly better what it is they face.
Glancing around with eyes narrowed and an expression that is entirely undaunted by the voice that slithers in the air, the alchemist smirks dryly as he raises a brow. "I am not Ludo's demigod, then?" Remi had learned a thing or two from his time with the fae; he hadn't lied.
Knowing nothing of Anju and only slightly more of Gideon, the Lullaby glances over his shoulder toward Sera as if she might shed some light onto the situation. Moments ago she said if he couldn't be saved then he ought to be destroyed, but that was before the Priest's identity had been revealed.
"Easily done." Remi replies to the faceless voice as he strides toward the Priest. If the creature allows him to grow near—how else might he make Gideon suffer?—the Lullaby will place his fingertips on the man's forehead, putting him to sleep. "The body can ignore pain in a way the mind can't." He remarks gravely. "Show yourself and you can come with me into the dream world I've placed him in. You can see the suffering for yourself."
IF Remi is allowed to touch Gideon, he'll use his Hushabye to put Gideon to sleep. He'll then ask the creature to show itself and offers to take it under as well.
IF he isn't allowed to touch Gideon, he'll use his INT to try and figure out if Gideon is on his 'Ludo-list'.
Magic: FEAT: Aint Afraid of No Ghost | Has advantage against spirit-based creatures.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
Magic: Kindred Spirit (Feat) | Spirit-attacks have disadvantage against him
Type: Dark | Rank: Basic
Magic: Hushabye | Through touch, can send a human-like creature into a deep sleep state that allows for communion with dead spirits. Can enter into the dreams of anyone he has previously 'dreamt' with, and can sense the dreams of those nearby. Using his Psychometry ability, can lock slumberers into this state such that they can't wake up.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
THE ALCHEMIST
i’ve been chasin the storm of a lovesick lonely lie
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
And then all her efforts didn’t matter – the voices clattering and rolling between Attuned bonds, the collective darkness – because the veil was lifted.
Anju must’ve known the girl would lunge, would streak, would race towards the unfurled Gideon, marred, hurt, wounded, from something yet to be explained or understood. Tucked against the woman, all she could do was shake for a moment, agonizing over the situation, heart beating, fleeting, pulse racing. What had he done to warrant such punishment? What was the point of this? So she fought her hold, begging with a subtle hiss in between the notions: “Please, Anju.”
Why should he die? Lena couldn’t fathom a reason – not for their priest.
And then she listened, to the way the Lullaby spoke, to the potential derision and agony lingering in there somewhere. Perhaps she needed to plead with him too. Please don’t – he doesn’t deserve it. Of what – either pain, torture, agony, despair, murder – she didn’t know. It was just faith, maybe blind, maybe guided.
--
Lena tries to break out of Anju’s hold and pleads with Remi.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
working the goldfields on the high sierras the early snow began to fall
She isn’t scratched again, and under the impression she is that it’s the most trauma she’ll get out of this, she’s absolutely wrong when the darkness lifts and her eyes are drawn to the figure in the middle of the altar. Her heart lurches, and there isn’t anyone to hold her back and hold her still when they realization hits. She doesn’t know what the fluid is that surrounds him, she doesn’t know how she is to prove it when the man she’s supposed to destroy is the one that’s become like another father to her.
Her feet move before her mind catches up, subconsciously aware of the things Remi says. Levi lifts off her shoulders and tries to puff air at the broken vials that surround Gideon to push them away from him. She bolts for Gideon, pausing before she touches him, her heart thundering in her ears and her breaths grow heavy. “No, no, no, no.” She repeats and repeats again. “Gideon, what happened to you?” She asks, rushing through it before the tears that gleam in her gaze shine when she looks to Remi. She doesn’t know how his magic works, she just knows that wherever Gideon is going, she wants to go too. “Can I go too? Into the dream?”
Levi flies toward Gideon and tries to blow away the vials from him. Sera rushes to Gideon but doesn’t touch him yet, asks him what happened, and asks Remi if she can go into the dream with them.
LEVIATHAN - Mythical - Dragon (Air Blast)
buried treasure for my darling under redwood trees so tall
"Ludo's demigod is a creature of mercy." The words are almost spat at this point, and they seem to crackle around the Trinity Temple like a curse. Mercy has its place, but not in this temple. Not right now. Indeed, as Remi attempts to approach the Priest, he is allowed near, but something akin to lightning will crackle towards his hand as if to prevent him from putting Gideon to sleep.
And the others?
Well, they are considered just as bad by this point. Even Anju with her brutal pragmatism has proven herself untrustworthy.
And so a static wind whips through the temple, lashing at each and every one of those who stand within, and the thunder seems to roar all around them. Most are able to dodge out of the way of it, but alas, it is not Anju's day, and she is hit with the electric whipcrack.
Above in the rafters, something squats and clings and hisses at the party. The time for talk is over.
Rae Spirit: 200/200 HP
Post Order:
(Gideon is not a participant in this KQ) Anju 24/51 HP Remi 634/650 HP Lena 45/60 HP Seraphina 29/30 HP
You have 48 hours. So that nothing is missed, please include a quick summary at the bottom of your post, including any items or abilities you have used.
Okay, seriously? Fuck this. Lena and Sera can plead and cry all they want; Anju has had enough of getting blasted, cut, and whipped. Gideon versus four others? No. If the others want to fuck around and fight a spirit, they are more than welcome to, but it's clear the spirit had wanted something else to happen before all this went down. And even if it ends in her demise, at least Anju will meet Mort proudly.
Riya! It is screamed across their bond as she stumbles back from the pain, and Riya reads her instructions from her mind - silent and concealed from all these others around her. The dragon goes streaking for Gideon and the fluid and vials surrounding him, and both Anju and her sister pray that the man is somehow coated in it as well, that it is something more than water - something that will burn.
Riya's flames stream out as far as she can manage, trying to light up the vials - or Gideon himself - from the farthest distance so that nobody can stop her. Meanwhile, Anju plants her sword into the wooden planks below to try and keep herself upright. She turns her bright eyes towards her sister, and demands she begin to set fire to the rest starting with the beams that support the rafters the spirit sits upon.
Bring the whole damn place down.
The others with their heroic tendencies and sacrificial desires? They can do whatever it is they want. They are not Dragoons. Anju does not care. She has made her choice, as they will make theirs; even if it makes her the villain in their eyes. Backing away, she rips her shirt and tries to tie it over the most apparent wound - the others can charge in if they choose to engage, let them take the damage this time.
- - -
Anju sends Riya to try and set whatever fluid is in the vials ablaze/the alter Gideon is on, and then to try and set fire to the main support beams of the Temple.
She then backs away to try and get some distance to avoid further damage and let the others choose whether to attack the spirit.
I am a kamikaze Lonelier than a patriarch labeled liar
Well, Remi has never really been the best liar, but it was worth a try. No doubt were they any fae around, they'd have mocked him for his efforts.
"Not always." He retorts, eyes partially shifting that he might be able to see more clearly into the darkened rafters above. That this wasn't Gideon's time to die didn't imply that it was Remi's task to save him. Like Anju, he'd let Lena and Sera decide what to do about their friend.
In order to draw attention away from the efforts of the Magnus sisters, Remi flies up toward the skulking creature as an ethereal manticore appears suddenly at his side. Whether the roar comes from the ghost or from Remi's throat isn't entirely clear, but both rush forward. The manticore aims its barbed tail toward the spirit while Remi lashes out with hands suddenly punctuated with large claws.
Regardless of the outcome of either attack, he'll try and stay close that he might draw the entirety of the creature's focus.
Remi flies up toward the creature (only partially shifted), and tries to attack with his claws while his ghostly-manticore tries to stab it with his tail. He'll stay in close range to try and keep the creature's focus/soak any damage.
Magic: Ghost Shape | Can summon the ghostly echoes of his former shifts (lion, raccoon, octopus), non-mythical creatures in his current biome, and a manticore. These will last for 3 post per thread, cause fear and cold damage; the manticore ghost can also cause poison damage.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
Magic: FEAT: Aint Afraid of No Ghost | Has advantage against spirit-based creatures.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
Magic: Kindred Spirit (Feat) | Spirit-attacks have disadvantage against him
Type: Dark | Rank: Basic
THE ALCHEMIST
i’ve been chasin the storm of a lovesick lonely lie
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
The Caretaker took a moment to wonder what on earth she was seeing – Anju, completely against what everyone else seemed to be here for, Riya currently embarking on potentially setting the Temple ablaze (why?), and Remi streaking towards the rafters.
And a breath – she solidified a breath, wide-eyed and trembling.
Then shifting into her fox role, quick and fleeting and swift, churning towards angles and persuasion, rampaging across the grounds of the threshold, striving to beat out a dragon’s flames. Her paws intended to sweep out toward the vials littered around Gideon, because she can’t reach him, and whatever might be contained within worried her.
What is it? she pooled towards Remi, unaware of what could be creeping in the shadows.
--
Lena shifts into an arctic fox and tries to swipe the vials away from Gideon and Riya’s flames.
working the goldfields on the high sierras the early snow began to fall
They can’t get close and not for lack of trying. Remi can’t get close enough to make Gideon fall asleep and Anju behind them seems more than content to set the temple ablaze with her dragon, something that Levi can’t help but to hiss and bare his teeth at as the dragon rounds back to Sera’s shoulders.
Remi’s attention moves up to the rafters and she can’t see anything that high up, and so her focus remains on Gideon, dodging out of the way of the crackling wind. She tries to get closer again, before she’s taking in a deep breath, closing her eyes, letting the tears spill along her cheeks as she does it. The Artificer is useless, and yet? She holds the power of calling for help, something she’s never afraid of doing.
Especially not now. So she hopes Remi has captured the creatures attention, and she calls out for the help of Frey in the hopes they might get some help. “Frey, please, please, help us save our Priest.”
Sera tries to get closer to Gideon and channels, calling out to Frey or whatever lesser deity might come help!
Channeling: Allows an Accepted to channel a lesser deity during a time of crisis (1x a season)
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
buried treasure for my darling under redwood trees so tall
04-30-2021, 08:50 PM (This post was last modified: 04-30-2021, 08:50 PM by Court Official.)
key quest
Does the liquid in the vials burn? Oh does it ever. With merely a lick of Riya's flames, the vials seem to ignite with fire, combusting instantly and spreading the equivalent of napalm wherever they spill out. About half of them have shattered, but there are still more tucked around Gideon, waiting to harm the Priest. Which is precisely when Lena dashes forward, and with a whisper of luck? She manages it. Her swift paws bat away the remaining vials, and there are only the current fires to deal with.
Which isn't great either, to be honest.
Now, briefly, to the battle above.
And it really only needs to be brief, when the Lullaby strikes. The man with the manticore wings moves almost too quickly to see, and only the ethereal screech of pain from the creature gives any indication that it has been struck at all. It flails and falters, ribbons of energy streaming like shadows in the place of blood, and the ghostly manticore catches it on the way down with its tail.
It strikes true, and the spirit writhes and screams as it hits the temple floors. Its pain is absolute, such that its pitiful attempt to hit Remi in return, while it strikes... does barely anything at all.
Once all of this has taken place... Seraphina steps forward. And it's a cooling wind that seems to surround the Priest, with a chime that's as clear as a bell. The fires go out, and the Temple remains safe for now.
The beast is downed, within reach. If you can touch it, you can stab it. What are you going to do?
Rae Spirit: 75/200 HP
Post Order:
(Gideon is not a participant in this KQ)
Anju 24/51 HP
Remi 633/650 HP
Lena 45/60 HP
Seraphina 29/30 HP
You have 48 hours. So that nothing is missed, please include a quick summary at the bottom of your post, including any items or abilities you have used.
