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!
07-14-2021, 07:14 PM (This post was last modified: 07-14-2021, 07:15 PM by Wessex.)
WESSEX
Go deep throat a cactus
Better get used to it, Wessex sings back, holding back the threat to invade Edy’s head with obnoxious songs ,for now.
But her eyes are on what’s going on below, on Deimos and where he goes - far away enough for now, she thinks. On Noah and Hotaru and the ruckus they make, claiming selfishness and bloodthirstiness when their own Gods are the only ones calling for it. She sneers, a face no one can see, but Wessex imagines that Hotaru might, somehow, know just how far she’s fallen in the demigod’s esteem.
“Dramatic cunts, aren’t they? Good luck winning the people back, Warden, and watch out for Deimos.”
Then they shift and try to run for it and Wessex is turning to Nate, who’d said he had his own, a gift from Sunjata, she assumes. There’s at least another dragon in that menagerie and god knows what else that can fly, but she’s already nodding along with Neron as she reaches for the other demigod. “I can take Noah if you want to fly after Hotaru. Otherwise, grab on. Or stay. Whatever.”
Turning back to try and predict Noah’s path, Wessex attempts to teleport to intercept the Attuned - with or without Nate in tow. She knows she can outrun the hunter, it’s just a matter of how long it’ll take.
------------------------
Wessex agrees to go after Noah and offers Nate a teleport out to join her, unless he wants to go after Hotaru or stay there to make sure Deimos isn't a problem. She's still wearing her Shadow Cloth.
Magic: Teleportation | Can teleport to any board that Wessex has already visited, OR can teleport to an adjacent board that she's visited with someone else. If used within the same board, requires a 1-post cool down period between uses.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Type: Grey
Shadow-Cloth | A cloak that renders the wearer invisible when in shadow. (Made by Remi)
Nate had been promised chaos, revenge. Whatever was happening with the fledgling rulers below was nothing short of disappointing, after all he’d heard, all he’d come to expect.
He rises to his feet on Edy’s back as they land, confident enough in himself to not be worried, though Wessex’s suggestion catches him before he can actually go anywhere. They should pursue all three of the treasonous attuned. They can pursue all three.
Maybe this is his answer to the letter.
Unblinking eyes follow the shape of the hawk as it wings into the distance, even as Nate reaches out take Wessex’s offered hand, all teeth and bright eyes when he turns to his fellow demi-god. “Lets get fuckin’ hunting.” No sooner have they teleported away than Nate is searching, looking for antlers and a chase. A low whistle drips off his lips, enough to activate his arrow, readying it to go shooting after their target.
There’s no real plan, except to maybe grab the fucker by the horns and bring him down, kick some of those pretty words about bloodthirstiness and selfishness back down his throat. Show him that a Sentinel stands until the end.
Nate goes along with Wessex and prepares himself to dash after Noah the second he comes in sight. He also activated his everywhere arrow so he can target something immediately
Type: Dark
Everywhere Arrow | A sleek, obsidian arrow. Controlled by whistling, the arrow is moved and directed via a mental link with the user. Range of 15ft, works with Ascended only.
Foot on the gas, too fast to turn Ain't gonna last, you gonna crash and burn
People hustled, citizens safe, the outcries of surrender burned against his mind, and everything else laden in between. The dragon continuing to escalate the situation. Morgan’s notes, full of lies and blasphemy, for she’d already invited this chaos, this madness, this potential bloodshed. The warnings from Noah were enough, enough, enough – and there would be vengeance. But later. Today was not the day. These moments were portions and pieces of a reckoning soon to come – the whole lot of them idiotic, playing right into what had always been said about them – the truth, all coming to fruition.
Get to the portal, and head to the Greatwood. Morgan has come with Ascended to attack Halo. he noted to any Attuned nearby (specifically in the barracks), and especially Korbin, because at least they knew there were allies there, nestled in the wood. Quickly and efficiently, Deimos pulled on his invisibility cloak, covering him and Zuriel, before racing, racing, racing across the snow, intending to reach the Fangs and leave.
He didn’t know where Noah and Hotaru were, not in this haze of chaos and darkness – but if he could make it out, then he could sound the alarm to everyone else.
--
Deimos instructs Korbin and other Attuned in the barracks to leave, puts on his invisibility cloak to cover Zuriel and himself, and then attempts to flee to the Fangs portal, intending to leave the KQ.
Type: Grey
Invisibility Cloak | (Upgraded) Ornate, detailed cloak, that when worn, renders up to two individuals invisible.
moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to
i will carve my way out
She has no way of knowing all the others that lie concealed and sinister beneath darkness and illusions. The destruction of the tower, the screaming, the shouting, it is a maelstrom of noise and sensation. The only grounding force is the tight grasp of Noah’s around her own, the snap of his command that bellows for all that it exists in her mind. Hotaru has never bent to the orders of men, but she can sense the shelter and protectiveness that radiates from him - encompassing all of Halo, and herself alongside. As such she finds that wind crests beneath her wings before she even registers following the inexorable shove of his command.
And when she realizes mid-flight that he is being targeted, the lioness inside snarls loud enough to make her wingbeats falter. The Valkyrie is howling, demanding she crest back to the Sentinel’s side to defend and protect at all costs, even against the man she loves - loved? - and the cherished woman she’d had to choose to abandon for Deimos’ sake. But they had not chosen to follow her, to strike her down. It is a puzzle with no clear picture, too many questions and hardly any answers. All she knows is this is an opening she cannot afford to squander.
Abandoning Noah is a betrayal of the highest order. It goes against her very nature. Surrender in the first place is a cowardice she can scarcely bear, being forced to flee without even making a stand merely an added agony.
Contrasting loyalties and urges shred her apart, but the beat of another heart inside her tie a knotted noose around her neck that drowns out all other noise. She must defend her unborn child first - above all else.
It doesn’t make turning her back any easier.
She does it anyway.
Hotaru flies as swiftly as her wings and the wind will carry her, and already she begins to plan.
- - -
Ru continues flying towards the mountains to leave Halo/the KQ!
with only my teeth
HOTARU
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
A raucous crow, a rootless tree A coiled adder, night-old ice
Run, came the command, and Korbin obeyed without question. The Wolf shimmered and changed, and within heartbeats the familiar blue-eyed raven winged his way high up over the rooftops of the Citadel, off and out towards the Tundra. Not following Noah, however; this bird made his way south, towards the place where a tunnel cut through the mountains into a land of fire and brimstone. The portal was too obvious a goal in his mind; he would take his chances in the Wilds.
As he fled, the raven let the General's message spread to any who might hear, issued by a raven's hoarse croaks.
"Morgan! Ascended! Flee, Flee!"
Korbin shifts to his Raven form and flies out of the Citadel and towards the tunnel leading to the Climb, to leave the KQ. On his way he relays Deimos message to leave by vocalizing, so that any non-attuned may hear.
Chihuahuan Raven | Arctic Wolf
Can partially shift animal form
A racing stallion who has wrenched a leg, Are never safe: let no man trust them.
He knew it as he heard the tower explode behind him, the flash of light bursting across the tundra. They were here for blood.
Large ears rotated back as he heard his pursuer whistle, but his eyes stayed focused on moving forward. Frey, an ursur attack wouldn't hurt right now... He prayed as he ran. He pressed his body hard, snow flying from cloven hooves. He did not know Wessex was coming for him, but he saw the other stranger. He veered in direction, sprint away from him. He lowered his head, pushing harder and harder and fast as he could go. He needed to get toward the Climb. He knew fire was an enemy of the ascended, and he needed to use the land's natural defenses for him.
All of it still rang in his mind. Morgan showing her true colors -- her dark, vile, proud colors. She brought danger to this land and that was all she would ever bring. They were here to kill, to slaughter, to devour -- to take blood and blood alone.
But at least it was his blood. His blood and not the blood of the people he swore to protect. Panic coursed through his veins as he ran, At least there was the hope and confidence that their pursuit of him saved his people, gave them each time to flee as commands and information flew from Deimos and Korbin. He was a sentinel -- and sometimes sentinels needed to move away from their post to assure their guardianship was most successful.
If he drew but one adversary away, it would be more safety for his people. He could feel the shards of his heart breaking away and falling into the void -- shards of the icebergs falling into the Sea of Glass.
07-16-2021, 02:07 PM (This post was last modified: 07-16-2021, 02:18 PM by Random Event.)
The Wraith can outrun the Sentinel to be sure, and in the long run, she can outrun him as a reindeer as well. However in his natural terrain, Noah currently has the advantage despite the ascended's enhanced dexterity at night. Outpacing Wessex and Nate by more than double, the reindeer will be able to escape (next round) unless more creative methods are used.
Deimos' invisibility cloak sweeps over both he and Zuriel, blocking them from view as both they and Neron head toward the portal.
Hotaru also escapes, though for posting out of order during a KQ, is bashed about by the winds that sweep down from the mountains, sustaining 20pts of damage.
You have 24 hours to reply. 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.
If Edy had the ability to sass Morgan, she'd absolutely have done so. Sadly, not wanting to give up her massive fucking dragon body just to be a petty bitch (though it was a close call, honestly), the Rapacious lifts off from the palace with the full intent of fucking shit up.
Knowing who Deimos, Hotaru, and Noah are only distantly, it's to Whitebrim that the ascended sets her sights. Down below Wessex and Nate chase a reindeer (Boooorrrinnngggg. Come smash shit with me, she thinks loudly to Wessex, without an idea about whether or not the Wraith will be able to hear her), as she angles toward the settlement.
Unable to feel pain, Edy's intention is to slam into the buildings at full force, dramatically sliding through and causing as much damage as she can. This will be punctuated by screams of lightning, which hopefully will have the added effect of lighting some shit on fire.
Edy tries to slam into the Whitebrim settlement with her body, and blast some lightning around.
Thankfully, Edy listened to her, going to destroy Whitebrim instead of any of the populated Citadel - two birds with one stone, really, as it had become a thorn in Morgan's side. She watched the dragon depart over the walls and one by one, everyone else left too. Swiftly, Morgan became aware that she was stood alone in front of the palace. Right, then.
Marching to the front of the Council Hall with all the confidence she could muster in her shoulders and chest, she climbed onto a statue's base for some height and looked at the citizens she could see in the street before her. They looked confused, scared, upset; none of that was surprising, but she hoped to change that. The wound that had been inflicted here had been the invaders, not her. "People of the Citadel - come to me." She asked, voice gentle but loud enough to be heard in the central square.
Would the guards follow her command? After years of training them, fighting with them and knowing them, she hoped they might show some faith. To that end, she tried to find some, to meet eyes and see if they would stand with her. She could only hope she had earned their love, the same as she could only hope of her people.
Eyes up, meeting as many as she could with a respectful gaze, she spoke: "Our Citadel has always been a settlement of independent people. We vote for our leaders, we work in the mountains to produce our own resources, we build our Citadel to be strong and efficient. That is how it is always been, since before Wardens, when we had councils to decide our rules." Morgan never wanted to be a Queen, to be the sole master of the Citadel; it was a collaborative project and always would be.
"I wish today could have been a more peaceful event, but a statement must be made. These new 'leaders' were not chosen by you. They broke in and took your elected leader by force on the command of their Old Gods. They impose upon the Citadel a fellowship to the Gods that we did not agree to. They drag Halo into their war without even asking any one of you, and yet they say they care for you." Her voice brimmed with barely-kept anger, but passion continued to produce the words evenly and easily. "The Citadel I know - the one that I love and serve - welcomes anyone willing to work for their place here. Ascended, Abandoned, Accepted, Attuned, anything. If Halo is to take a place in this war, it should be on our own terms, not forced upon us by those who think they know better than you! I would have our Citadel be a place for all of us."
She very rarely spoke at quite such length, but there was one more thing to say. "Once our Citadel is safe from those that would try to force us into conflict, I will open up my position to be challenged for by anyone within Halo. Anyone that is willing to genuinely discuss and care for it's people. Anyone that has not tried to wrestle away our independence by force. I am not hungry for power. I am hungry for your justice." To emphasise this point, she slammed her hammer down on the stone.
That was all she had to say. Either they would accept her or they would not, but Morgan could say in her heart she had given her all to provide for her people.
---
Morgan goes to the front of the Council Hall, tries to see if her guards will stand with her, then addresses the people.
Treasures and crowns wouldn't mean a thing If I only had a heart
liars and lovers combine tonight, we're gonna make a scene
Edy Edys, Morgan Morgans, and Neron runs. His upgrade still engaged, he's a blur in the snow and the ice as he tears his way across the causeway towards the portal in the Fangs, but all is not calm and well. He might not know the bird that swoops overhead is Korbin, but there's no doubt that the thunder of hooves behind him indicates that someone is in pursuit. And when he flashes a glance over his shoulder, well - if it isn't Deimos.
The unicorn is going to surpass him and quickly, effortlessly, and so Neron conjures magic to his fingertips and flings it out behind him. Jagged ice erupts from the ground across the causeway, the Ascended hoping to force the rider and his mount to jump it or else be impaled.
Neron keeps his upgrade activated, and throws out ice in an attempt to slow Deimos down.
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.
Water manipulation: Can create and control water. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
If they had all the time in the world, she might tire him out, but as the reindeer begins to pull away, Wessex reaches for her chakram and pauses for a second to steady herself before launching it at the Attuned. She’ll settle for hitting anything on him - anything to cut deep and cause pain or slow him down.
Can you shift and zap him - or blast the Climb tunnel opening? she asks Nate, hoping that well-timed lightning strike might stop the escape in its tracks. Plus, like, no one really goes into the Climb. And it's still accessible by portal. It'll be fine. Mostly biding her time until she can teleport again, Wessex continues to run again, ready to catch the chakram when it returns to her.
If only she could hear Edy and what sounds something like forgiveness.
-----------------
Wessex stops for a moment to try and launch her chakram in a hail-mary attempt to hurt Noah badly enough to slow him down. She also asks Nate to shift into a dragon and try to blast either the reindeer or the Climb tunnel opening.
Type: Dark
Leviathan Chakram (Upgraded): An unbreakable chakram created from the scale of a leviathan by the Voice. With razor-sharp edges, this discus will always return to the hand of whoever throws it, and will always do so without injuring the hands of the thrower.
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)
07-16-2021, 10:12 PM (This post was last modified: 07-16-2021, 10:13 PM by Nate.)
A blender in a lightning storm, disguised as a blessing I'm sure
Irritation courses through Nate as Bambi runs on ahead of them, building distance. They’d been so confident, so ready, and this is how they react when consequences come knocking? Scattering like rats? There’s a solution though, a simple, practical one that for some reason, doesn’t actually occur to Nate until Wessex slips it into his mind.
Anything for you boss! Nate croons towards Wessex, his tone carrying the wagging tongue and feral grin, even if his fellow demi-god can’t see them. And that grins stretches as Nate shifts, horns and teeth and black scales exploding out of him, wings coming last and lifting him into the air.
A glow colours his throat as soon as he has some height, crackling lightning caged behind stolen teeth for a moment before Nate let’s loose, aiming ahead of Noah. The point is to stop him, to let Wessex catch up, not to actually kill him. Not that he’d shed any tears if an accident happened.
With one task done, Nate turns in the sky, pointing himself towards the tunnel leading to the Climb. Bringing it down just makes sense, especially now. And if he’s lucky enough to catch up to any other traitors on his way, well, that’s just a fun bonus. He keeps his eyes open for anything though, knowing there’s still two little birdies that have managed to fly the coop.
Nate shifts into a dragon using a bite obtained in this thread and unleashes a bolt of lightning in front of Noah, trying to make him stop. He then turns and starts to make his way towards the cave leading to the Climb
Dragon ability | Can breathe lightning (mastered lightning damage)
Shifting to partial Attuned tiger eyes to see within the darkness, the cloak still covering them, they raced onward, onward, onward along the snow. Closer and closer to liberation, and he could feel it building in his blood, in his bones, that incessant need to reach and stretch, claw his way to fruition. No sinking, no depths coming to cordon him off; the endless days of war sticking to his machinations.
Up ahead though, the ice appeared to move, rising, careening upwards, and unless something else was afoot, he’d have to be quick, efficient. It could be Halo playing its bizarre manifestations. It could be someone else altogether.
Urging Zuriel forward, while still on her back, the Sword instigated his inherent infernos – intending to unleash fire upon the ice and melt it away, blasts upon blasts, and to continue their way through. Perhaps it was caused by someone nearby. Perhaps it wasn’t, but Deimos wasn’t taking any chances, not with the potential for escape, with the need to get towards others.
And then he’d strive to carry on towards the portal, just yearning for freedom.
--
Deimos partial shifts to tiger eyes to be able to see clearly in the dark, and remains in his invisibility cloak with Zuriel.
Spotting the ice rising from the ground, he shoots out his Mastered Fire towards the ice, intending to melt it so he can continue through to the portal, and leave the KQ.
Fire Manipulation: Can create and control flames. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
Type: Grey
Invisibility Cloak | (Upgraded) Ornate, detailed cloak, that when worn, renders up to two individuals (or a rider on a horse) invisible.
Each shard of his heart hit the depths of his soul and shattered, pieces too small to pick up and glue back together. With each hoofbeat the hunter was dissolving -- nothing more would remain of him after this. The one thing, solid and strong in the center of him, was that he was drawing the enemy away from his people. Ears rotated above him, listening as best he could to what was behind him despite the pounding, ice cold blood in his veins. Lightning crashes all around in the distance and the Sentinel's heart flutters -- he does not look back, but in his mind's eye he sees the walls of the Citadel falling and his people dying.
As his prayer left his mind, Noah's realization that he may be able to help himself dawned. His mind was overworking, the gears turning and grinding and sparks flying between his ears. A silent command went out over the tundra, one he was harnessing and honing to supremacy. He called on a polar bear to run towards his attacker(s) with intent to maim and kill. Keen reindeer ears catch the whistling of something in the air, and his wide vision is able to catch the projectile flying. The reindeer veered again, just slightly, hoping to Frey that the projectile will hit the polar bear instead of him. He keeps sprinting, heart thundering in his chest.
Familiar wingbeats enter his ears again and the fur along his spine stands up with the electricity in the air. It flashes and Noah jukes, but he keeps focused: he needs to get to the climb. Keep the danger following him away from the people of Halo (which, though it haunts him, he believes Morgan has killed with the actions of the other dragon).
---
Noah compels* a polar bear to run towards those attacking him, and he sees the projectile and hopes it hits the bear (larger target) instead of him. He attempts to juke his direction quickly to avoid the lightning damage. Noah is still running towards the climb in attempt to leave the KQ.
*Using Noah's regional ability to increase his compulsion: 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.)
Can compel like-minded animals for assistance (1 large, 3 medium, 5 small, from the same animal family)
i'd fashioned my own cross been crushed by its weight there's no stronger message than dirt in your face
