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!
01-20-2022, 04:44 PM (This post was last modified: 01-20-2022, 05:04 PM by Odd.)
we're all stories unfinished and we die to find some fitting words to write
They were an odd assortment: two demigods, a baby Ascended and one of the few neutral(ish) Attuned. Ray’s decision to join the group was surprising, but welcome, and Wessex has nothing but a smile to offer whenever she shows up to the edge of the Oerwoud.
Cam and Loki are with her, the latter already up in a tree, investigating something far more interesting than her companion. And though the air is hot and heavy, thick with unfamiliar scents and the strange cries of the many colorful creatures of Caido. She remembers the molten tiger she met with Aurelia and shoulders the bow and quiver, already keeping an eye out for anything unusual.
They all know what they’re here to do - find the Flowerbirth deity. This is the lushest place Wessex can think of, so here is where they’ll start - once everyone arrives, of course.
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This is the PQ+ to find the last remaining Seasonal Deity. All the slots have been filled.
Cam's excited about this trip, their first real adventure in Caido. Going to find an unknown goddess? Awesome. Since Wessex is with them, they're not too worried about the danger, either. They figure she can handle whatever comes up. And it's not like they feel pain anymore -- that surety makes them perhaps a bit reckless.
Wearing the cloak Wessex gave them, they grin at the vegetation around them. Neat, a proper jungle. They're definitely not an experienced explorer, unless you count the time they bushwhacked up a mountain when they were eleven and got a tick, but what's the worst that could happen? It's not like they can starve or feel thirst.
They lean against a tree as they wait for the others to arrive, smiling to themself. This should be fun!
Cam arrives with Wessex, taking the cloak she offered. They have a pen knife, plus their sketchbook and some pencils in their backpack.
It takes more time than he's willing to admit for Nate to find the small group assembled in the Oerwoud, a fact that he attributes more to the chaotic jungle than to the churning in his gut. He'd moved to the Wilds to stop the thought that every time he walked out the front door it might be his last, but it was harder to shake this time than it had been in a while. He remembers hearing about what had happened last time, with Tanau, with Kiada.
None of his misgivings show on his face when he arrives though, a bag slung over one shoulder, and Ramoth hovering on the other, quivering with the effort it takes to stay put and not go flying after every mote that catches his eye. A holographic arm is thrown around the Wraith's shoulder, an easy grin splitting Nate's face as thoroughly as the scar between his eyes, aimed first at Cam, and then towards their fearless leader.
"Let's hope this is uneventful, huh?" He drawls, licking his lips as he looks around again, waiting for their last member to show up. The dragonling clinging to his shoulder looks between the other ascended, interest burning a hole through their bond before he catches sight of Loki, and just can't keep from darting off into the tree, chittering at the larger, darker dragon. Nate sucks his teeth at his companion, shaking his head as if to say what can you do?
Nate arrives with the items on his profile, Ramoth, and a pack with a waterskin, some rope, a knife, and a handful of small bells
Ray offers those gathered a smile as she arrives. It's nice to see only familiar faces and Nate in particular gets a rather teasing grin from her, "Good to see you again. Hope you aren't causing Sunjata too much trouble lately?" In all honesty she was relieved to see the demigod alive in well. With all that had occurred lately, she'd been worried about the pair.
Ray does smile apologetically at Wessex before they set off, "Sorry I'm late. I had to finish up a few last-minute orders." The herbalist had elected to close her shop for a few days so that she could join in on this quest. Despite her allegiances to Frey and Rae, she was a healer first. Maybe that did make her neutralish in a way. But if the healers of Caido weren't all at least somewhat neutral, they were all doomed.
Ray has everything in her profile, and she brought a med kit (bandages, wound ointment, things for stitching, gauze, etc.) She's also brought 2 daggers and 3 throwing knives.
What an interesting little group you've put together Wessex.
Deep into the Woods we all wander, and though there's no hand-holding or song-singing, the atmosphere is fairly chipper if not a bit naive (this will not be uneventful, Nate. But you already know that). Though LongHeat does its best to try and burn through the canopy overheard to scorch the flora below, the jungle is resilient and screams green all around despite the relentless sun.
Ahead there is a fork in the road, because isn't there always? One path is lush and vibrant, whereas the other looks as though it could use a good watering.
Which way do you go?
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Ray follows the group with one dagger drawn and her eyes and ears partially shifted to that of her panther form. The jungle could be dangerous after all. There were likely creatures here never seen before, ones with unknown capabilities. It was best not to be caught off guard.
As the path forks, Ray eyes their options before turning to the group, "I think we should go for the lush path. It seems the most probable given who were looking for." Flowerbirth meant growth and lush greenery. Unless the deity was sick, Ray doubts that the other path would lead them to their goal.
~
Ray votes for the lush path. She has one dagger drawn and has partially shifted her eyes and ears to that of her panther form.
Cam peered at the paths, their brain spinning into puzzle-solving mode, as if this were a D&D game. Yes, the lush path was definitely the obvious option, but what if it were a red herring, meant to mislead them? Then they reconsidered: this was real life, and there was no DM here to try to trick and confuse players. In real life, tying themself into knots trying to out-think the obvious would only hamper the group -- and make Cam look stupid.
"Yeah, the lush path makes sense," they said, agreeing with Ray. Still, they glanced at Wessex and Nate before moving to take the path. If anyone had an inkling that the obvious choice wasn't the correct one, Cam would go with that.
Cam agrees with Ray on taking the lush path, but they're not set on it; they'll go with the group if Nate and Wessex have a different idea.
Of course he knows this won’t be uneventful. But hey, hope for the best, expect the worst, right? Nate tries to hover near the back of the group, just the same as he tries to keep moving, head on a swivel.
Nate might not know much about the Goddess they’re after, but he has a couple of brain cells knocking around his head, and between them they can conjure up some gruesome reasons why a specific pitch of jungle might be lifeless looking, none of them good and none of them “Spring God”. “No argument from me.” He offers, already moving to step past the group and take the first step.
Nate agrees with the lush path and moves to take the first step down it
we're all stories unfinished and we die to find some fitting words to write
They’re a jovial - or at the very least, an amicable group - and Wessex wraps an arm briefly around Nate’s torso to give him a quick squeeze of affection. And his new companion does not go unnoticed, either by herself or Loki, who is always happy to meet another dragon and shrieks an elated greeting to the baby before coming to meet it in mid-air. “New companion?” she asks her brother as they set off, the dragons doing their dragon thing in the canopy above.
As they go, she partially shifts as well, creating an incredibly odd picture of a fox’s nose on a human’s face. If Ray’s got the hearing thing covered, then she’s got the smells. And her eyes are already excellent as is. When they come to a fork in the path, the answer seems obvious and adds her own agreement to the mix. “Sounds good.”
Still, she keeps her eyes peeled for any funny business.
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Wessex partially shifts to a fox nose and uses her INT 1 to keep an eye out for any danger as they go down the lush path.
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)
Ray's eyes and ears will let her hear all the wonderful sounds of the jungle; birds screeching for mates, a waterfall in the distance, the shuffle of her companion's feet as they move down the path. Wessex will be able to smell various trails that have come and gone, though one smell stands out in particular.
A sentient vine reaches out to brush against Ray, while another wraps itself around Cameron 's foot, tripping them. A gaggle of vines attach themselves to Nate, halting his progress as a handful more slither out for Wessex and cover her eyes.
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Ray can't help but let out a small chuckle at the vine's antics. "Seems like someone doesn't want us to move forward." Ray keeps her partial shift up as she walks over to Cam and attempts to steady them. "Try not to cut them if you can." Ray warns Nate and Wessex as she does so. Hopefully the two demigods will be able to detangle themselves without invoking the wrath of the flora.
As the herbalist waits for her companions to right themselves, she turns her attention on their surroundings. Standing watch so to speak in case any other surprises emerge from the forest.
Ray keeps her partial shift up and tries to help Cam regain their balance. As Wessex and Nate try to get free, she'll keep watch of their surroundings.
"Hey!" Cam says, almost tripping over the vine, as if protesting will convince the flora to behave. They take Ray's arm gratefully, balancing awkwardly on one foot, and try to tug their other foot free. By the time Ray warns against cutting the vines, they're already reaching for their penknife, but they obey her words and instead, after taking a moment to steady themself, bend down to try to disentangle their foot with their hands, pulling the vine off. They can only hope that it'll cooperate and not grip their hands instead. That could get messy.
"Thanks," they add, to Ray.
Cam bends down to try to disentangle the vine from their foot with their hands.
At first it’s hard to tell if they made the right, but if somethings trying to stop them, that’s a good sign, right? Maybe? Maybe it’s just some big cosmic joke.
Ray’s warning comes a moment too late, not that it would have necessarily changed anything. There’s too many vines around him to merely slip away, but hopefully with the help of two extra sets of arms he can tug enough of them off him to get loose. Maybe he can even get away without snapping too many of the vines, if he’s lucky. “You know,” he starts, aiming the annoyed growl mostly towards Wessex, “this doesn’t feel like a great start.”
Nate uses his extra arms to try to break free of the vines, mostly by snapping them, though he’ll try to heed Ray’s suggestion and avoid it as much he can
Magic: Finger in Everything | Nate possesses the ability to create four extra arms in the same style as the Voice’s holograms. The arms share Nate's strength stat and can be summoned/dismissed at will. They are able to reach a radius of 30ft.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
we're all stories unfinished and we die to find some fitting words to write
A variety of smells start to filter through the fox’s nose and Wessex is absolutely fascinated by the information she can pick from them. It may be why she’s caught unawares by the vines, a wordless exclamation erupting from her her eyesight is blocked.
She immediately wants to laser the fuck out of the them, but given that she’s been asked not to immediately turn to violent delights, Wessex tries to pry them off with just her hands. If that doesn’t work, she’ll try to cut through them with her lasers. “This?” she says with a chuckle? “Just Sentient Vines doing what they do. What’s more worrisome is the Molten Tiger that’s been through here recently. Maybe more than one? So be on the lookout.”
With a hum of consideration, Wessex looks at Nate. "Maybe we should bookend the group." If he agrees, she'll take the lead.
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Wessex tries to first pry the vines off and if that doesn't work, she uses her laser eyes. Warns the team about the Molten Tiger and offers to have the demigods lead and bring up the group's rear.
Magic: Angry Eyes | Can shoot laser beams from her eyes. Target must be within 30ft. Deals heat damage to soft surfaces, with a 50% chance to disorient characters if the light goes in their eyes (a dex roll on her part). Can also cut through small objects, and heat medium-sized objects.
Type: Dark | Rank: Upgraded
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)
