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!
The only sound in the cave is that of the water below, the leopard's paws silent against the stone. There were a few less common herbs that grew in the watery caves, ones that had brought Ray out today. The leopard pauses as something shifts in the shadows and the sound of something dragging along the dirt reaches her ears.
Ray reaches over with her teeth and takes her bag off of her back. Placing it on the stone, the Attuned faces the noise. Ears folding back, she snarl at the large lizard the emerges from one of the tunnels. As it takes a step closer, making an angry rumbling noise. Ray leaps at it, trying to pin it down with her claws and fangs.
Travels extended to Torchline now, with the inclination of Noah’s sudden disappearance and mysteries, enigmas, surrounding the manifested unknown. A deeper, unsettled filament curled between his bones, and once he and Cordelia had agreed on a future meeting spot, the beast extended his motions into the wake of a world he’d once been banished from, and cherished all the same.
The water brought him back to too many things – old worlds and old lives, the echoing sound and throng of gulls pierced into his void again, and he wandered after their telltale vestiges as the sea cast its way into something unfamiliar. Tiger eyes glanced at the outset of the cavern, at the way the powerful water had carved and whittled its own niche and pathways. Belial followed suit, but Zuriel stayed at the front of the aperture, clearly distinguished in her sagacity.
He lifted his feline nose at the entrance, and the peryton obliged in much the same – though both noted they were not alone. A narrowing of his feline gaze, a reflection in the darkness, and he could make out the clarity of a panther; immediately hoping it wasn’t Sunjata. Hello, the Sword rumbled, by way of distinction, no threat administered – his usual predacious self still and quiet in the midst. He tilted his head, ears twitching back and forth, as echoes of movements, claws, and fangs seemed to launch, wondering if he’d interrupted a hunt.
Ray met her mark, teeth sinking deep into the scaled body. The lizard, now dispatched is almost forgotten at the sudden voice. The panther whips around, hackles raised with startled surprise. But Ray relaxes immediately when the voice registers as familiar. Deimos? Is that you? It's me, Ray.
Newcomer identified, she glances at the lizard. I had forgotten that these guys were down here. If you're looking to go deeper into the caves like I am, you might need to go through a few. If she were in human form, Ray would have sent a grin at the other Attuned. Not that I mind an impromptu hunt.
Sure enough, the telltale sound of scales scarping across stone is heard. It seems more lizards are approaching, perhaps drawn to the scent of their peer's blood.
Deimos didn’t even bother hiding his relief at the familiar voice; the rigidity in his form losing its stiff, unyielding stance, and conforming more to the Attuned fixtures of the tiger. Yes. A pause, tilting his head in a studious disposition that could’ve either been feline compositions or the Sword’s overall distinction. I did not realize you were an Attuned. Far more than just an herbalist, at any rate.
Belial offered his own greetings by way of announcing his presence in an extension of wings, dashing downwards to see if he could snag one of the lizards too. His target dashed quickly, rapidly, and Deimos was forced to muffle a snort of laughter threatening to echo through. Attention deviating back to Ray, he had to admit he lacked any quality information about the caves themselves. I have not been here before. Do they all connect? Pondering, wondering, about the likes of the others, such as the Climb, interwoven in their own network of pathways and warrens.
Thereafter, of course, were the creatures drawn in – and his gaze narrowed, watching as Belial began initiating another dive. Quick and lithe in this form, the tiger followed suit, reaching a paw out to one foolish individual who’d gotten a little too curious.
Ray feels a surge of relief when Deimos confirms his identity. She might not know the Sword very well but he certainly wasn't an enemy. Tentative acquaintance? Fellow Attuned regardless, and sometimes that was enough. Enough for the start of trust at least.
Amusement carries through the bond. You didn't? Guess it didn't come up. How her ability to turn into a cat could have even come up in a conversation about poisons, who knows. Belial's actions only strengthen the amusement coming from the smaller cat. Deimos' question gets a nod from Ray. Sort of. It's more of a giant maze. Most connect to each other in some way though. The herbalist had been down here a few times in the past to deliver items to the guild. But she wasn't a member so she didn't know the tunnels as well as they did.
One of the lizards reaches their section and Ray snarls, lunging forward to knock it down. The tunnels are thankfully wide enough for the cats to maneuver in. Otherwise this fight likely wouldn't be so one-sided.
The lizard balked beneath his bulk, mass, weight, and power, and his claws dug in – amidst blood and ichor, muscle and bone, tissue and fiber. It was enough to break backbones and ridges within ribs; death swift and imminent, and there’d be something to take back to their established encampment. Belial instigated his own reel, but with far more amusement, and Deimos fought off a sigh as the peryton could be spotted grabbing the reptile by its tail with fangs and aplomb, swinging it around.
I suppose not the beast snorted, amused, ambling forward, dragging the newest catch behind him. Not in between measures of poisons and antidotes, things he’d never been able to utilize despite all the careful, tedious planning and orchestrating. But the monolith wandered away from those figments, eyes glancing upwards, studying and surveying the threshold of the entryway, the width of the halls, the potential for gaining access or becoming lost in its thresholds. Each land seems to have its own maze. The labyrinth within the Grounds, the Climb’s ambitious assaults, the winding hedges of King’s End, the caverns twisting and turning in Halo, the forest and groves themselves in the Greatwood. Likely with its own secrets and purposes – and knowing Torchline, all of it was probably nefarious.
He didn’t ask – preferred not to – simply advancing in a leisurely stroll, despite the incoming of lizards. Were they cannibalistic, or insatiably curious? Another glanced at him, and seemed to back away quickly.
10-17-2021, 12:50 AM (This post was last modified: 10-17-2021, 07:33 PM by Ray.)
The snake will always bite back
Now that it was clear that the lizards were relatively weak, Ray got an idea. I'm going to try something. She quickly shifts into a much smaller, much more lethal form. Slithering rapidly across the stone, she climbs up Belial till she was resting on the perytons' shoulder. When the companion has a lizard tightly in his grip, the herbalist slithers down just enough to strike. With a slight blur of movement and the flash of fangs, she injects her venom into the unfortunate reptile.
Curious to see how the lizard would fare, Ray slithers back back till she is securely resting on Belial's shoulder once more. Her serpentine eyes remain on the creature, carefully observing for any change in its behavior. This shift is still pretty new, and so is its venom. I'm trying to learn how effective it is, she explains through the bond.
It was risky of Ray – had the peryton not been trusting, much more disastrous things could’ve struck. As it was, the little deer froze for an instant, and Deimos’ reassurance pulsed through – though even the tiger had some moment of intrigue and hesitation. Not of the snake form itself, but of the potential of lethality behind it.
A flash of movement, intertwining of fangs, and then Belial dashed backwards – instinctively dropping the lizard. Presiding in his strength, dominion, and composure, Deimos tilted his head, picking up his previous kill in between his teeth, before standing protectively over the peryton. I see, as it made sense to the Sword. An herbalist with her own set of poison, speed, and mastery could be a threat in its own accord. Will you be making an antidote too? Meant to be more of a tease, considering their last conversation; his tone juvenile.
The lizard didn’t appear to move though: either from the shock of the bite, or Belial’s previous antics, frozen and still. Was it biding its time until they were distracted by something else? Or had the poison begun to take effect, unseen by their eyes?
Caught up in her curiosity and desire for experimentation, Ray hadn't even considered the risks of suddenly climbing onto the peryton. However as soon as the companion tenses the realization hits her and the Attuned prepares herself to be thrown off. She internally lets out a sigh of relief when instead Belial adjusts to her presence.
The lizard on the stone floor seems a bit out of it but manages to stagger to it's feet. Huh maybe it's slow acting? The area around the bite was already beginning to swell, inhibiting it's movements. Given the size of the creature, the severe effects weren't immediate. But soon the venom would begin to destroy it's very blood and lead to the destruction of vital organs. The lizard was already doomed.
Slithering off of the peryton, Ray shifts back to her panther form, keeping an eye on the delirious lizard. By now it's showing signs of suffering and she feels a pang of pity. Must be one that takes a bit. Her tone is sympathetic. I don't want to leave it to suffer, I'll just try and find information of the venom from a book or something.The injured lizard is quickly dispatched and Ray turns to swipe away another that had gotten to close.
Presuming there were wider varieties of poison than Deimos was aware of, his inquisitive, and occasionally colder, calculating nature, was brought to the forefront as he looked on. What kind would do that?, gesturing to the way the lizard seemed to swell, slow, and then lose its footing entirely.
He wasn’t surprised when Ray finished it off instead of watching the aftermath, though it left the results a mystery. Unless it was an adversary, the Sword never intended to allow something to suffer; so he nodded, nodding and inclining his head to indicate Belial could continue on. The peryton shifted and glanced at Ray nervously, even if she had returned to her prior, panther form – far more wary and cautious now.
While Deimos once had a friend with expertise in venom, poisons, and all sorts of bizarre designs, he’d stayed clear of that front – mostly because he hadn’t wanted to know whatever D’art had been utilizing. Grasping onto his previous kill, and managing to maneuver Belial forward with a gentle shove of his muzzle upon wings, he wandered further into the depths of the cave.
Ray hums through the bond. Some neurotoxins or hemotoxins can be. Especially when it comes to larger creatures. If I recall, hemotoxins can cause worse swelling so that's my hunch. She too would like answers but letting a wild creature die in such a slow and painful manner was unacceptable to her.
The peryton's sudden wariness has the panther feeling sheepish. Can you tell your peryton that I'm sorry? I didn't mean to spook him. The request is sent as Ray sends another lizard tumbling with a harsh slap to the face. The panther's claws leave a harsh series of slashes on the creature's face. The numbers of the beasts seem to decreasing. Perhaps we ran into a nest?
Despite being much more inclined to overt incantations or dominions of strength, the sneaky, cunning, and wily considerations of toxins weren’t lost on him – he had, after all, sought out Ray’s knowledge of the subject seasons before. He just hadn’t put them to the test, after all the meticulous, detailed planning; saved in the bottom of his bag for another time, another place. But this was somewhat beyond the realm of sleeping doses and moderate potions. Are there antidotes to all of them? A case by case discipline? Or were there some moments, some reaches, no one could come back from?
His thoughts whirled towards Zuriel, standing outside, completely ignoring them all. Would her measures be able to counteract the venom? Would others’ healing properties? Or could it be all for naught – a slow, painful, agonizing death?
The tiger’s eyes narrowed, taking in the surroundings, mulling proportions to himself. So much so that his calculations were only rendered gone and moot when Ray’s apology rang through the bond, and he glanced at the peryton again. He’d yet to see the companion in such a wary, hesitant state. Belial was usually one with enough energy, zest, and ridiculousness to surpass circumstances, but the snake rendering him as a springboard had apparently done some amount of damage and confusion. I will. I do not believe he was prepared for it. A pat on the head was granted by furry jawlines and ruffled feathers, and it seemed to counteract the tides of apprehension.
And the proffered gift of his lizard.
The companion took hold of it and hooted something to Ray, before tossing and gallivanting away. You are probably forgiven. And he snorted, going after another lizard that seemed entirely put off by their presence, marching forward until his presence ignited its notions of fleeing.
Ray pounces onto a lizard, crushing it beneath her weight. When it comes to nature based cures, it really depends. There's a lot of factors including the source, the potency, the victim's prior health concern, and more. And things like my emergency antidote or general antivenom will work to some degree on one type but completely heal another. There are a few that neither will work on as well. There was the sensation of a sigh through the bond. It's really complicated and taken me years to figure out.
Ray glances at Zuriel, her admiration for the companion coming through. Magic however might be able to solve just about any natural occurrences. I hope to one day have a unicorn shift so that I can better handle those cases. The suspected medicinal properties of a unicorn's horn were incredible and for a healer such as herself? Even shavings from a unicorn sharpening its horn had value. Ray had a hunch that grinding those shavings and mixing them with water might work as a general cure-all oral medicine.
Good, thank you. Ray is glad to see that Belial has recovered and seems to have remotely forgiven her. The companion was rather adorable and the herbalist didn't want him to fear her. The panther snaps at another lizard, this one taking the hint and fleeing into the caves.
Eyes scanned the darker threads, the eaves, before witnessing other lizards begin dispersing within his surroundings. Either his entity frightened them, or the ones remaining were far more clever than their counterparts – had seen the results firsthand of claws, venom, and fangs. Stilling for a moment, he listened to Ray’s response, of the understanding, sagacity, and wisdom possessed. Years of foundational passions and information had garnered into those tidbits of information, and if tigers could smile he would’ve done so. Instead, his appreciation for the merits of perceptions and rationality prospered through the bond. It wasn’t unlike battle – the years it took to finally hone precision, and the parade of motions still to follow. Torchline must respect your insight.
That magic, like Zuriel’s, like so many other healers and dominions, might counteract it all amused him – chancing another glance towards the unicorn connected to his soul. She has saved me, and many others, a multitude of times. Indebted to the bond, to the way they’d rescued and liberated one another time and time again. Such a shift would always be useful. If the mare grew haughtier from the entryway, she strived not to let it show. And an interesting balance, and he snickered through Attuned adornments. Fangs and venom, mending and soothing – juxtapositions rather than parallels.
Belial gave chase to the fleeing lizard, however, and Deimos followed, sauntering onwards in a more languid approach.
