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!
06-07-2021, 04:52 PM (This post was last modified: 06-07-2021, 06:16 PM by Court Official.)
key quest
Thoughts are thought, questions asked, statues and rivers investigated. By the end of things, Sunjata and Wessex have swapped places given the Flood's inability to breathe the vapours being released by the Prince's nervousness. Now on the inside, the Wraith offers release to the Prince. "K-k-k--kill..m-m-m--e?" He whispers (or is he asking?), gelatinous body shaking and oozing, releasing acid that begins to break down the rocks around him.
Before more can be said, Sunjata 's hooves collapse the door that has blocked the group from the Prince, leaving Wessex inside with him, Samuel with his shield raised outside the door, with Jata and Peter.
"I c-c-c--aann-n-ot dd--i-e! And s-s-s-hh-eeeee cannnnot l-l-live! N-n-n-one of y-y-y-ou u-u-ndersssst-and!" Perhaps having realized for the first time what rock and hard place he is truly caught between, the Prince's normally sludge-green body begins to darken with rage and despair.
Lashing out at those closest— Wessex and Samuel —long tentacles that burn with acid (Sam will recognize this as feeling exactly the same as the slime on the walls), strike the pair with brutal accuracy that seems strange for a creature as feeble as the Prince. They are the worst to target of course, not that the Prince knows. As he strikes Wessex, pain reverberates through his body, causing him to shiver and flex and releasing yet more gas into the space, filling it entirely. The arm which strikes Sam is dulled by his shield, causing sparks and shocks to flow back into the Prince.
Welcome to the Key Quest to find the Prince.
Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
Your randomly assigned posting order is: Sunjata, Wessex, Samuel, Peter.
Sunjata: 220/300 HP
Wessex: 450/480 HP
Samuel: 215/250 HP
Peter: 72/72 HP
now take what i offer, straight up the nose, down the throat
it's a bearable bruise on your conscious
The door breaks and there’s a moment of bitten back victory. It doesn’t last long obviously, not as the Prince begins to lash out and how he crows that nobody understands. Problem is, the Prince is doing a piss poor job at explaining it so that they do understand, and if it’s putting him out of his misery and seeing if he can die? At this point Sunjata’s decided he’s over trying to be nice.
He shifts back into himself, grabbing his daggers and readies them, looking to Sam. “Keep the shield up and stand back. We need to weaken him.” It’s a quick order, Sunjata sucking down a deep breath of clear air, before stepping back into the room and draws up the electricity dagger from Safrin, hoping to arc lightning across the Prince, then steps back hopefully out of range.
Sunjata shifts back into himself, tells Sam to keep the shield up, grabs his daggers and takes a deep breath to charge in and swipe the blade up, hoping to send the electricity arcing across the Prince, and steps back hoping to evade retaliation.
Type: Dark
Trident Daggers (Upgraded) | Two daggers perfectly weighted and sculpted for Sunjata. One can shoot fire in a 5ft arc and the other electricity.
but don't it feel good? don't you feel calmer?
i am the way and the life in the best looking truth
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Laser beams we're about to awesome all your dreams
Do they really need to weaken the Prince?
Its pecularities has her immensely confused. Intuition tells her that teleportation won’t work on the Prince, and she can see the way he continues to emit gas and acid and her gut tells her that this isn’t a monster to be killed. So Wessex turns around to see what Sunjata is going to do and tries to step in front of the electricity flying towards the Prince, hopefully taking the damage meant for him and - unfortunately - sending it twofold back towards a hot-headed Sunjata.
Turning back to the Prince, Wessex fairly growls at the blubbering. “Well I can’t die either, so if you keep attacking me, you’ll just keep hurting yourself. You felt what happened when you hit me, right? Talk to us. Help us understand.”
The demigod can't help but wonder if he's partially Ascended. Gas and acid might be kinds of upgrades. The Wraith tries to mentally connect with the Prince, like Peter suggested. We're here from the Voice. She will understand.
-----------------------
Wessex tries to intercept Jata’s attack on the Prince and then tries one more hail mary 'talk to us' plea.
Type: Dark
Damage Splash Upgrade | For every attack made at Wessex, double the damage is deflected back to the creature who caused it. (Elemental effects are not duplicated. 30 pts of fire damage is translated back as 30 pts of regular damage, for example).
Type: Grey
Telecommunications Upgrade (Upgraded) | This telecommunications chip allows the user to speak directly into the minds of any ascended regardless of distance. Ascendeds within 30ft of the chip may also respond mentally.
Seeing the Prince again washed Sam over in waves of pity; the disgust was there, but more than anything he looked at the creature and saw a reflection of himself. Scared, embarrassing, pathetic. He winced as the tentacles hit his shield, more for the damage it would do to the Prince than for his own safety.
He thought they were all on the same page, then Sunjata said they needed to weaken him; as if the Prince was not obviously weak enough already. "No--" Reaching forwards, he wouldn't have made it in time, but thankfully Wessex interrupted the attack. Turning to look at Sunjata with hot anger in his eyes, Sam hissed: "We are not here to hurt him. How dare you? You're a guest here."
Keeping his own shield up but staying back, Sam nodded along with what Wessex had to say. "You won't defeat us. Please, we can tell you aren't happy here." It was beginning to feel like they were going in circles, but he didn't know what else to do.
---
Sam keeps his shield up and stays back, speaking to the Prince after Wessex.
Type: Grey
Holographic Force field Upgrade | the user can project a spherical forcefield around them. Objects and matter can pass through it, but when organic matter does it will receive an electrical shock as long as contact is made
And I broke my promise on a very sharp rock
And I was possessed by something unfriendly
All their efforts, and all they’d gotten was an opened door, and sad, stumbling responses. At least he knew what manner of beast the prince was now. Peter was beginning to sympathize much more with Sunjata than the others, a frown on his face when Wessex steps in, when Sam scolds him. Niceness hasn’t worked, why not resort to the easy road?
Something in Peter snaps, something he hadn’t known ever lurked inside of himself. Something that furrowed his brows and had his hands clenching at his sides. “You’re embarrassing yourself.” He hisses, steady and firm. “You get to live, and you sit and and hide and act useless!” The words are loud for him, though still hardly above a normal speaking tone for anyone else, and laced not with pity, but with contempt. “Good thing she can’t see you acting like this.”
Pet has nothing to offer but sharp words, and is still hiding behind Sam
And I was haunted by a demon in my sleep
And that’s how I learned to survive
As Sunjata moves to strike the Prince, Wessex intercepts. Lighting and the sharpened blade given to him by Safrin carve down her torso. Nothing is reflected back at him though as there was no attack made at Wessex. Flinching backward, the Prince warbles uncertainly. "T-t-there is nn-n-n-othing to u-u--n-derstand! Y-y-y-ouy can-n-n-n-ot c-c-c-ome here and t-t-t-ell m-m-m-e I am s-s-s-sad and h---h-have to—
GET OUT OF MY HEAD" The outburst is abrupt and shocking, but the voice does not match the Prince's at all. More gas exudes from the chamber, now bleeding out of the small room and dissipating slowly into the tunnel. Despite his held breath, Sunjata will breathe a mouthful of it. Simultaneously the Prince lashes out at Wessex again with a tentacle, screeching as contact is made and pain flares back through his body.
"A g-g-g-uest?" The words are whispered, but before the Prince can continue, Peter 's words seem to have their desired effect. The Prince's slimy puss-filled skin begins to grow hard and red, as he moves with a burst of shocking speed to attack Peter. Behind Sam's shield, as he is, the Prince is flung backward, uttering an oozy and wounded cry of pain.
Welcome to the Key Quest to find the Prince.
Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
Your randomly assigned posting order is: Sunjata, Wessex, Samuel, Peter.
Sunjata: 220/300 HP
Wessex: 375/480 HP
Samuel: 215/250 HP
Peter: 72/72 HP
now take what i offer, straight up the nose, down the throat
it's a bearable bruise on your conscious
He steps forward and Wessex blocks him, the dagger going right into her chest and slashing down her torso, which only elicits a hiss from Sunjata, narrowed sharp gaze shifted to better suit the dark. He’s made a mistake, though, because the hiss means he needs to take a breath, and unlike the rest of his group, it chokes him again. So he steps back, glaring back over at Sam, jaw clenched as he tries to keep from coughing. “Unlike you, I don’t have all day. I’d like to go home.” He grits out to Sam.
He’s probably going to run out of breath at some point.
But the Prince is lashing out and Sunjata slips back into the hallway, trying to get a few mouthfuls of decent breath again, gaze sharp and narrowed as his back aches and his lungs hurt. “Figure it out, then.” He snaps to the group, keeping the daggers at the ready, glaring at the room while he tries to catch his breath again.
Sunjata barks a few things but retreats into the hall to try and get more breath, keeping his daggers at the ready in case the prince attacks him.
but don't it feel good? don't you feel calmer?
i am the way and the life in the best looking truth
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Laser beams we're about to awesome all your dreams
What kind of Ascended is he? He obviously isn’t what he seems - the power, the ‘other’ voice, the melting into the walls -
“Sorry!” Wessex yells, taking all the hits, her sensors registering the damage which, frankly, isn’t great. Activating her healing in the process, the queen feels like there must be some information somewhere that they’re missing. Then there’s the speed.
The yelps of pain - he’s ascended but can feel.
“Goddess,” she says aloud. “Of course we can’t understand, something went terribly wrong for you - you’re Ascended, but not. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” And he’s at least three hundred years old. To live all that time, like this.
Maybe the statues can tell them more. She’s got one more translation left in her, so she teleports herself quickly back to the statues and heads towards the female statue to read it.
----------------------
Wessex heals herself, has a revelation, then teleports back to the statues and chooses the female statue to read.
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
Type: Grey
Optical Upgrade: Can translate written words regardless of the language. Eyes glow blue when in use. (OOC: Will translate two plot-related text per season.)
Between Sunjata acting like he was and the Prince continuing to argue, Sam's patience was running very thin. He'd known coming into this that it wouldn't be easy, that the Prince had never been co-operative, but somehow he'd hoped that in the year that had gone by, he'd improved in some invisible way enough to manage it.
Watching the Prince run towards him (he did flinch, though he knew that he wouldn't come close), Sam gritted his teeth as he tumbled back. "Stop. You can't fight us. We're stronger than you, alright? And if you won't come nicely, we will have to take you with us another way, which I really don't want to do-" He hadn't wanted to resort to threats, so he didn't get into any specifics, hoped that just a small mention of the idea might be enough to tempt the Prince into working with them. In anticipation that he might try to run, Sam stepped to the side so he was blocking the way to the river with his shield, assuming Pet would follow behind.
"I don't understand why you're so resistant to anyone helping you. It's obvious you're not alright, Emyr." He said with a wave of his hand, indicating the slime oozing out around the Prince.
---
Sam tells the Prince they're too strong to fight and steps to be between the Prince and the river in the anticipation he might try to run, with his shield still active.
Type: Grey
Holographic Force field Upgrade | the user can project a spherical forcefield around them. Objects and matter can pass through it, but when organic matter does it will receive an electrical shock as long as contact is made
And I broke my promise on a very sharp rock
And I was possessed by something unfriendly
There’s a shocking kind of confidence that comes with knowing you’re in some way safe, something Peter has only rarely felt before now. It blocks out everything else, concern, irritation, worry. He doesn’t flinch in the face of the Prince’s transformation, teeth bared in stark defiance and blades slipping out of their hidden home in his arms.
Sam moves, and Pet shifts with him, smart enough to know it’s safest to stay behind the other man. Still, he does what he can to look intimidating, to pretend like it would be a bad idea to try and pass them, all sharp teeth and glinting blades and simmering tension.
Pet moves with Sam and unsheathes his mantis blades to be prepared if the Prince does try to slip pst them.
And I was haunted by a demon in my sleep
And that’s how I learned to survive
Wessex heals and disappears, reappearing near the flowing waters. Her eyes glow blue as she reads the inscription written below the female statue.
"I--i-i- am s-s-s-trong-gg-ger t-t-than y-y-y-oou." The Prince all but bleets, still recoiling from the blast of Sam's shield. Acidic gas continues to spew from around the Prince, such that Sunjata will have to back away farther if he doesn't want to take damage. "Ww--w--why d-d-do y-y-ou even c-c-c-are? W-w-h-y do you k-k-k-eep coming h--h-here and s--s-aaying I h-h-ave to aa-c-c-c-ept y-our h-h-h-elp?"
Welcome to the Key Quest to find the Prince.
Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
Your randomly assigned posting order is: Sunjata, Wessex, Samuel, Peter.
Sunjata: 220/300 HP
Wessex: 400/480 HP
Samuel: 215/250 HP
Peter: 72/72 HP
now take what i offer, straight up the nose, down the throat
it's a bearable bruise on your conscious
They can argue all they want but Sunjata spies the gas as it continues to seep, jaw clenched tightly as he backs away further down the tunnel, trying to escape it, keeping the daggers raised. Wessex disappears, teleporting he assumes, so his frustrated, narrowed gaze lands on Sam to gain his ire and his upset. “I’m running out of air, Sam!” He snaps, which sparks a fit of coughing, his frustration only growing more and more.
He calls out for some roaches again, aiming to have them search for anything that the Prince might be attached to, as if they might be able to lead the prince like a dog with a bone. Because otherwise, he’s going to run out of time, and he’s already far past this whole talking endeavor.
Sunjata backs away further down the tunnel trying to get cleaner air. He also compels some roaches to try and find anything the Prince is attached to in order to try and grab it and guide the prince like a dog with a bone.
(Beastmaster) can compel any sentient animals not marked with a ☆ for assistance (6 large, 12 medium, 20 small)
but don't it feel good? don't you feel calmer?
i am the way and the life in the best looking truth
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Laser beams we're about to awesome all your dreams
Taking in the inscription, the demigod looks up at the stone-wrought face in frustration. She can't think of much to do other than imitate (and remember that Tallulah would likely NOT have been their friend) in an effort to make some headway. Standing back, Wessex tries to change her body to look like the statue commemorating Tallulah. Not to be like a living person, no, she tries to be a statue brought to life.
And then Wessex attempts to walk like a statue, moving slowly, as if her legs were the heaviest thing she's hauled in a long time. No rising and falling of the chest, no need to do so as an Ascended hopefully brings more believability to her creation. She comes to a halt at the end of the tunnel and raises her hand ever so slowly towards the group, beckoning, perhaps, to the Prince himself.
It's just me, she tells Sam and Peter, mentally. Maybe Tallulah can convince him.
--------------------------
Wessex users her Anyone upgrade to make herself look like the statue and then tries to… act like the atatue has been brought to life.
Magic: Anyone | Can alter surface level appearances over her whole body, such as skin, hair, and eye color. Cannot change internal structures (bones, voice, etc.)
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Without the patience to argue with Sunjata and the Prince at the same time, Sam just turned to glare at Jata and snapped back: "Then leave if you have to! You have shifts. You can fly out." Maybe in any other situation he would have been more understanding, but right now there was too much at stake, too much happening for him to worry about something else. That, and the further this whole embarrassing affair went on, the more it felt like something private and shameful to the Ascended.
"I care because I'm your brother. We're both made by the Voice and I...I've been like you too. Outcast and hiding and hurting. But there's help out there, and I could help you get it." He tried to explain further, exasperated by the time Wessex's voice reached him; Sam just turned to look at the statue, surprised by the sight enough to be convincing anyway, not knowing that Wessex had such an ability. "Oh--"
--
Sam tells Jata he can leave if he wants, talks to the Prince then looks towards Wessex in statue-form. He still has his shield active.
Type: Grey
Holographic Force field Upgrade | the user can project a spherical forcefield around them. Objects and matter can pass through it, but when organic matter does it will receive an electrical shock as long as contact is made
