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!
don't pull me, don't pull me down from the ceiling
Nate took the shield instead of Wessex, which was fine by Bastien, though the moment didn't quite span out how he'd hoped it would. The Demi God ran out and got himself crushed against a wall; Bastien cringed and was glad they didn't feel pain. Hopefully he'd pull himself out of that one.
Wessex's message reached him and he looked down to his feet for the grappling hook. Holding it in his hand, the weight of the hook gave him a different idea. Damage wasn't really a speciality for him, but continuing his line of thought from earlier...kneeling down, he tied the end of the rope to any protruding rock, anything strong enough to hold for at least a minute, then threw the hook - hoping to land it somewhere in the Basilisk's head.
"Nate - If I can hold it still, try again!" He called, hoping that Nate would still be able to hear him mid-crush recovery. Either way, even if it didn't help with the mirror plan, having the beast confined to one position would be beneficial for them all.
--
Bastien uses the grappling hook that Wessex left nearby to tie one end to a rock and throw the hook towards the basilisks head, hoping to hold it still/tether it to one position.
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)
'cause karma's just a different word for bad luck &
In the split second between being slammed against by the basilisks bulk and getting crushed into the wall, Nate has a single, coherent thought. Fuck this. Fuck this stupid snake and it’s stupid eyes and this stupid too small hole. It echoes through his head as he starts to flail, lashing out with every limb he can move and his extra ones, even going so far as to bite the basilisk to try to escape the crush.
And if he can break free, the only thing on his mind is getting on the hover board and returning to the definitely shaky safety of the cave mouth. A low whistle will sound on his lisp, though Nate’s not really looking for opportunities.
Nate attempts to struggle out from under the basilisk (kicking, punching, biting) with the hoverboard and get back to Bastien. He keeps his arrow at the ready but is not actively looking to attack unless Bastien gives him a very good shot
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.
09-02-2021, 06:20 PM (This post was last modified: 09-02-2021, 06:20 PM by Court Official.)
So it goes like this.
Wessex takes the time to think, but it gives the basilisk an opportunity to snap its teeth at her. Luckily she's too quick for it, and she avoids the attack unscathed. Nate is equally as lucky, though it's a close thing as he tries to squeeze himself back to Bastien's side. He's nearly smashed into the wall again, but manages to escape that crush by the skin of his teeth.
As for Bastien, the snake is simply too large and cumbersome, its scales too smooth and the grappling hook too awkward to get any purchase against its thick skin. The hook skitters across the basilisk but finds no grip, and he's left holding it back in his hands.
At least one good(?) thing comes from this: Varus will find himself able to move again.
Because this has plot ramifications, it (and all subsequent relic KQs) will be scaled based on level and more difficult than normal). 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 you don't do this, they won't be taken into account!
Basilisk: 657.5/750 HP
Your randomly assigned posting order is:
Varus 76/76 HP
Wessex 605/605 HP
Bastien 60/100 HP
Nate 62/102 HP
honey, i rose up from the dead. i do it all the time
Well, as it turns out, Varus has no fucking idea what’s going on. All he knows is that one moment they’re all together and nothing’s shown itself yet, and the next? Well, the next is pure fucking chaos and Varus comes back from his statuesque position, heaving a breath he doesn’t need and feeling the heaviness of his limbs return to normal, his sensors quieting down. And then? Well, hopefully he doesn’t get stuck again because he doesn’t exactly think they’re prepared for this.
He sure as fuck isn’t. But now that they know it’s a basilisk they can prepare more for it. Most notably, coming back with shiny things, right? Anyway, Varus’ mind catches up the best he can and with a swift realization he projects his voice through the mask to the rest of the group. Hi, fuck, looks like things are pretty shit. He steps back toward the entrance again, the space he hasn’t quite left yet. I vote on getting the fuck out and coming back better prepared, yeah? He turns on his heel and leaves the entrance. Sorry fam.
Varus is NOT PREPARED AT ALL FOR THIS and barely has any idea of what’s going on, so he thinks they should leave and come back now that they know what it is.
A growl of frustration rips through her - not at Varus and his departure (honestly, it was the smart move), buta at the lack of information she can glean. Even if they do kill it, there’s just a whole hunk ‘a ded snek in the hole. And nobody likes a limp snake in a hole. That doesn’t mean she isn’t going to try to win, it just means that she’s not thrilled with the possibility of what comes after the fight.
I’m staying for now, she broadcasts back to the boys. As long as I’m not turned to stone, I think I’ll be okay. Full health. Healing. Damage Backsplash. It might be a long slog sorry Honey, but she thinks it might be doable. Gonna go for its good eye, since the reflecting thing didn't seem to pan out.
Reaching for her chakram, Wessex tries to move to where she can get a good shot at the basilisk's remaining good eye. Launching the chakram at the serpent, she hopes she's able to fully blind it - and if not, then at least she can be enough of a distraction to let the others get away.
-----------------------
Wessex tries to position herself so she has a good shot a the basilisk's remaining eye and hurls her chakram at it, trying to blind it, hurt it, or at least be a distraction from the guys in the tunnel.
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.
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).
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)
don't pull me, don't pull me down from the ceiling
Varus awoke from his stony prison and immediately decided to leave; not that surprising, but in conjunction with Nate staunchly refusing to carry on with their mirror plan, Bastien felt the sudden dread of this being a massive failure. Still, Wessex was one of the strongest among them and he believed in her abilities - for the moment, despite his shoulder, he'd stay.
"Wessex - I am not powerful enough to fight it as you do, but I will help any other way I can." He called, remaining in the dark but drawing back the grappling hook and looking at the items around his feet desperately trying to come up with a plan. He had gotten them into this mess, after all, and wouldn't run away unless he absolutely had to.
A thought came to mind, perhaps one too optimistic, but something he had to test anyway. Focusing, switching the optical upgrade on and staring over the basilisk, he hoped he might see that it was not actually the almighty foe it appeared to be.
--
Bastien decides to stay for the moment, though still within the dark sphere, and asks Wessex if he can help her somehow. He uses his optical upgrade to make sure the basilisk is real.
Type: Grey
Optical Upgrade | Can see through god-created illusions such as the barrier around the Hollowed Grounds.
'cause karma's just a different word for bad luck &
The hoverboard is shoved back in Bastien's direction as Nate scrambles back into the relative safety of the cave mouth, the doctor turning on his heel to snarl at the basilisk in a defiant show, unless the sea panther teeth around his neck actually mean something to such a large creature.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Nate couldn't help but agree with Varus' voice in his head. There's a grim set to his jaw as he looks back at Wessex and the basilisk, his mind going in the same direction as hers. What came after the snake? What other horrors waited deeper in the burrows, what more could there be when the first step had already hurt him so badly? We can come back, better prepared. Nate points out silently, trying to convince himself as much as he was his fellow demi-god.
If nothing else, it's all he needs to offer an apologetic look to Bastien and turn, following Varus back out towards the Oerwoud.
Nate hands the hoverboard back to Bastien, attempts to intimidate the basilisk, and then follows Varus out
Type: Dark
Fang Necklace | A necklace of sea panther teeth. These may be used once per thread to cause intimidation to nearby enemies. (Enemies will roll with disadvantage for that round).
Varus and Nate get lucky - the basilisk is too focused on Wessex to notice as they make their quiet and dignified escape. Live to fight another day might not be the most glamorous way to go about things, but there's no doubt that it gets results. As for the remaining members of the group, perhaps it's just because things are far too enclosed here, but Wessex's chakram fails to hit the snake at all, let alone in its eyes.
And in retaliation, it whips its head around and its teeth come lancing down, biting the demigoddess along the left side. Fluid will flow and Wessex will have some nasty puncture marks to show for it. But she might be on to something here, because pain wrenches through the snake as well from the Wraith's upgrade. Meanwhile, if this hasn't been made immediately obvious by the bite, Bastien will quickly realise that this snake is no illusion. It's real, and it means business.
Because this has plot ramifications, it (and all subsequent relic KQs) will be scaled based on level and more difficult than normal). 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 you don't do this, they won't be taken into account!
Basilisk: 557.5/750 HP
Your randomly assigned posting order is:
Varus 76/76 HP OUT
Wessex 555/605 HP
Bastien 60/100 HP Nate 62/102 HP OUT
If only the Ascended had the kind of bond Attuned do, then Bastien could feel the gratitude coursing through her for his decision to stay. Now is not the time to get emotional or unfocused, but she owes him one later. “Let’s try the reflection thing again. If you can hold it up and get it’s attention, I’ll interfere if it doesn't work and tries to attack you.” she calls back, switching directions on the snake to head back towards the tunnel.
Meanwhile, Wessex tries to engage her Healing upgrade to do the background work of keeping her whole and fighting-fit.
As she watches for any signs of the basilisk lunging towards the Overseer, she knows she’s risking Bastien and his trust in her, but in the long run she knows she can afford the Dionysian being turned to stone for a bit - if it comes to that.
--------------------------
Wessex engages her Healing upgrade and heads back towards the tunnel, asking Bastien to try and get the basilisk's attention so they can try the reflection thing. Wessex will try and intercept any attack the basilisk makes on Bastien with a good 'ol fashioned stabby-stab of her claws.
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 upgraded levels, with a chance to heal at higher levels depending on injury/luck.
Type: Light | 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.
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).
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)
don't pull me, don't pull me down from the ceiling
Given a task, Bastien was sure to do it, taking the hoverboard from where Nate had thrown it nearby. Maybe it was time to be a mythical hero himself, Perseus for the day. Lifting the hoverboard he looked it over on both sides to see which was the most reflective, then said a quick prayer as he held it outside of the sphere.
Careful to keep the majority of himself within the hidden sphere, he shouted, a loud and wordless yell designed to catch attention. He probably looked a very odd sight, a floating hand holding a metal board among darkness, but maybe that would the basilisk more likely to look.
___
Bastien holds the hoverboard out of the dark sphere (with his body remaining within) and calls out to try and get the basilisks attention.
Type: Grey
Hover Plate | A thin sheet of elegant metal that acts as a hover board when stood upon by an ascended. Ascendeds can control the height (max. 3 ft) of the board, as well as its direction and speed (speed is equal to the rider's). To a non-ascended, nothing happens when it is stood upon.
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)
09-07-2021, 03:52 PM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2021, 03:53 PM by Court Official.)
Don't worry Wessex, the basilisk isn't interested much in Bastien even with all the racket he's making. It's probably because it's already got its eye on some prey, and she'll do nicely, thanks.
Alas, due to the cumbersome nature of being coiled into a small space, the snap of the serpent's teeth falls short of the Wraith.
Another chance to fight or flee is on the cards, it seems. Perhaps Bastien can find a better way of getting its attention?
Because this has plot ramifications, it (and all subsequent relic KQs) will be scaled based on level and more difficult than normal). 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 you don't do this, they won't be taken into account!
Basilisk: 557.5/750 HP
Your randomly assigned posting order is:
Varus 76/76 HP OUT
Wessex 604/605 HP
Bastien 60/100 HP Nate 62/102 HP OUT
Sometimes all Wessex can do is cry-laugh, bare her fangs in defiance, and get on with it. There’s one surefire way to hurt the basilisk and as much else hadn’t yet worked, including trying to divert its attention to what could have been something really cool. Shame, really. But with being turned to stone on the line, this isn't really the time to loaf around; let's go back to the tried and true.
This fucker… she laugh-sighs to Bastien and reaches for something else that will surely draw the snake’s ire. Stay if you want, Bastien, but I won’t be offended if you go. Just send a search party if I’m not back by tomorrow. Which would be because she’s probably turned to stone and / or keeps getting turned to stone, or… something else. Something they haven’t encountered yet.
Trusting that Bastien will either leave or keep himself safe (he isn't one of daredevils she occasionally needs to worry about), the General turns her focus fully to the giant snake. This time around, Wessex doesn’t try to evade the basilisk’s fangs, instead, she just tries to stay on the blind eye side to avoid being seen and lashes out at the closest piece of the snake with her chakram in hand.
----------------------
Wessex tries to avoid being seen by the basilisk's good eye, but will not dodge any other attack. If she can, she tries to slice and dice the nearest snake-bit with her chakram.
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.
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).
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)
don't pull me, don't pull me down from the ceiling
Sharing Wessex's desperate exasperation as the basilisk staunchly refused to look over at the hoverboard, Bastien listened to her message in his head with a grim acceptance. There wasn't much he could do here; at best he was moral support and at worst, he was a hindrance. Had he known the threat they would face would have been of such a magnitude, he would never have suggested the mission so soon.
Alright. I will go to the town and gather help. Take my board and sphere. Bastien picked up the sphere and walked back with it until he was in the entrance of the cave, then he tossed it (turned off) and the board towards Wessex. With the items given to her and nothing else to do, he turned and ran up the tunnel away to safety.
Good luck. If anyone can do this, it's you. It ripped at his heart to leave a comrade behind, but he was of more use outside where he could get others than he was in the cave.
--
Bastien has left, but he leaves behind these for Wessex:
Type: Grey
Hover Plate | A thin sheet of elegant metal that acts as a hover board when stood upon by an ascended. Ascendeds can control the height (max. 3 ft) of the board, as well as its direction and speed (speed is equal to the rider's). To a non-ascended, nothing happens when it is stood upon.
Type: Grey
Dark Sphere | When the button on this small piece of tech is pressed, all light within a 5ft sphere is immediately darkened regardless of conditions. Ascended can still see.
Bastien disappears away into the caverns with the rest of his Ascended kindred, living to fight another day and all that. Which leaves demigoddess and basilisk to battle it out - and the serpent takes the opportunity given to it with no holds barred.
It whips around to snap at Wessex with its huge fangs, and given that she doesn't dodge it, the bite leaves little to the imagination. The basilisk even manages to toss the Wraith against the wall of the cave, which would leave anything requiring the ability to breathe winded.
It's not without a cost though, of course, and the splash damage has the snake writhing, again, in agony, before it rounds on Wessex once more, wary of another attack.
