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!
03-16-2022, 06:54 PM (This post was last modified: 03-18-2022, 04:09 AM by Talyson.
Edit Reason: there = three
)
Tal flashed a grin at the praise, dour features lighting up as the soldiers relaxed and slapped each other on the back for a job done well enough to earn the General's approval. He even endured a few good-natured shoulder pats and back slaps of his own before he eeled loose and took shelter in Deimos's imposing shadow.
Proximity made him an easy choice for the next task, and the courier gave a heartfelt nod. "That thing tried to kill me at least three times earlier," he admitted. "A couple of the holds are loose and spin when you put weight on 'em. And there's a chunk of wall where it feels like the wood's goin' soft." He scowled across the yard at his new nemesis before going to fetch a hammer and some nails to help fix or stick new holds into place.
Tal gets a hammer and nails to help stabilize old holds/attach the new holds that Deimos will make.
Sah cursed when his patch job failed. Clearly construction wasn't his best skill. So when Amun offered help, he grinned, "Thanks." As Amun held the planks in place, Sah attempted once more to patch the hole. Trying to make sure he got it right this time, he continued the conversation. "I'm an Outlander as well actually, though I've been in Halo for about two years. The population shrunk after the last disaster, so I know the majority of those who live here. Besides all of you newcomers that is", he added with a small smile.
Sah paused to try and focus on the planks for a moment before continuing, "Halo's become my home. Where have you settled?" Amun didn't give the impressing of being too new to Caido. Surely, he'd found a region to call home?
With Amuns' help, Sah reattempts to patch the whole with the wood planks. And continues to have a friendly interrogation talk with 'Tom'.
At last, “Tom” found some achievement in the measures against the hole. Thankfully, Amun could take hold of the reins, so to speak, as Sah’s efforts were in vain once more. Together, the void was patched – if a bit shifty looking. They’d likely need to tell the General about it before too long, so that maybe something could be constructed more efficiently. For the time being, it would remain, and Sah and the newfound Halovian they’d be able to interrogate, converse, and finally put the armory back together.
The courier, Deimos, and the fellow soldiers would find their efforts rewarding. Piece by piece, they worked like a machine: while the recruits inspected holds, and found those needing to be replaced, the Sword created new grasps, and Talyson nailed them in place. “I put a new enamel on them,” he assured, with a light shrug, patting one, ensuring it was secured. “Hopefully it will last longer.” And not give way so readily, if he were absent once more.
As for the chunk of the wall itself? “Ready some more nails, and we can see what can be done about the softened portions.” And he strode over to where it had been threatening to crumble, readying some earthen adornments to strengthen the threshold.
--
While Sah’s rolls weren’t great, Amun has helped cover the hole. They can now work on putting things back in an organized fashion within the armory.
Deimos, Talyson, and the NPC soldiers have successfully put together new holds in the climbing wall, and can now work on restoring the softened portions.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
As their combined efforts managed to patch the hole, Amun let up a little cheer. Stepping back, he eyed their work. Glancing over at Sah, the potter arched an eyebrow. "It'll hold for now. Since you and the General seem chummy, I'll give you the honors of telling him about this."
Looking over the armory, he sighed. "I hope you don't mind if I work on the weapons, what with tripping over the armor twice now." Snorting, he moved to the nearest pile to try and sort the trash from what just needed repairs and then the weapons into their various types.
"Two years? What is it like living here? In Halo, I mean. And what's this about the latest disaster?" Eying the other man, the Ascended shrugged. "I've been staying in the Hollowed Ground, but what with recent events and all I decided it might be a good idea to take a look at the other regions." Again, none of those words were false, merely misleading.
Tal might have been better than an axe than a hammer, but he could set the nails well enough to secure the holds that Deimos handed to him and faster than expected they'd managed to replace the more worn and precarious pieces.
That just left the ominously spongy section to deal with, and Tal chewed his lip fiercely as he glared at, wondering how they were going to fix it. Maybe--
The General spoke with authority, and since he was the original creator of the climbing wall, Tal was happy to defer to his experience. He trotted off to try and find more nails, asking for directions from the older soldiers to find a supply room where he could hopefully grab a fresh can of them to bring back to Deimos for whatever the sword had in mind.
Tal seeks out a store room and tries to find more nails to bring back for the repairs!
Sah snorted a laugh, "Sure, I'll let him know." He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard someone had actually used the word 'chummy'. Still, he nodded as they returned to their prior task, "Sure. Just don't trip and stab yourself on any weapons." He was sure 'Tom' would have some bruises tomorrow from tripping on armor, but that was certainly preferable to be impaled.
Sah finished sorting the armor and then worked on placing it back in an organized manner. He tried to organize them by types as he had with the weapons as that seemed to be a rather effective means of storage. As he worked, he talked, "I love it. It's similar to how I lived before in some ways. It's a harsh lifestyle, with the cold and lack of resources. But the people here are as warm as they are hardened." They were always willing to help a neighbor, something he greatly admired.
"Halo's had shit luck lately. two coups, a Longnight monster attack, the Sea of Glass splitting open, and now Morgan's death."Sah sighed heavily, shaking his head. "It's been...stressful to say the least. But things are finally settling now that Noah is Warden." Now that they're goal had been reached they could truly begin to ensure Halo survived the war.
Sah still wasn't sure about 'Tom' but he nodded, "Not a bad idea to see the world. But be careful, tensions are only getting worse. You don't want to be stuck in thew wrong place when the war truly starts." The fact that 'Tom' had recently come from the Hallowed Grounds was noted and filed away for later investigation.
Sah sorts the armor and organizes it in the armory.
Ah, the armory duo. Sometimes it went well. Sometimes it went poorly. Sometimes it was volleyed in between. Sorting and shelving wise, everything was fine. Armor was stacked. Weapons were hung with care -
A wild, irritated skunk rampaged through the ramshackle wooden plank…
Oh – had that been the cause of the hole before? Huh.
Maybe that pile of chainmail had been its former home, all nestled and cozy and left alone because the recruits were too lazy. Maybe it wanted vengeance.
It immediately tore for Sah this time though, hissing, and of course…turning around, very quickly – one would hope a good plan was going to come to fruition soon…
On the other side of the grounds, amidst training forays and repair work on the climbing wall, the success was far more measured and noticeable. While Talyson and the soldiers waited with nails and hammers, Deimos utilized his earthen incantations, taking hold of the sunken in proportions, and pulling them outwards. There were some portions clearly caved in from either well-executed kicks, as individuals scrambled up the sides, or merely time.
Restoring it with the same enamel and lacquering conditions as the footholds, the General took a step back, and permitted the rest to do their part. Before long, the slants and boards were pieced together again. “Good work, everyone.” To the soldiers, he gave a nod, assuring them their duties for those moments were done, and they could continue onward with other notations on their schedule. Putting materials away though, his brows furrowed slightly, then eyes pinpointed in the direction of the armory. “I have not heard from the other two in a while.”
--
The shelving and sorting was going so well too! Turns out the hole was created by a wild skunk, and its not happy about losing its home – breaking the plank with the power of pettiness! Now what?
Deimos and Talyson had finished up their tasks. Maybe they could help out the armory pair?
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Grimacing, Amun let out a snort. "I'm not sure I can promise that, given my performance." Nodding along as Sah explained both his experiences in Halo and the recent troubles the region had experienced, the potter sighed. "I'm sorry to hear about your struggles." Glancing up from his work with the armor, he tilted his head to one side. "Are you and Noah close? How do you think he'll do as Warden?"
Shrugging at the other man's warning, the Ascended looked down at the pieces he was trying to sort. "I'm aware. It's what prompted my desire to check out the other regions to begin with. How else am I supposed to figure out what the right place is?" He shook his head.
When the sound of splintering wood filled the air, his gaze shot up. Spotting the skunk headed straight for Sah, Amun called out. "Watch out!" His hands closed over the nearest piece of debris and he chucked it at the animal, trying to deter it from its target.
Amun throws a piece of armor at the skunk to try and stop it from reaching Sah.
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)
Nails and hammering, bolstering and reinforcing, all came together to create a climbing wall that was as good as new - or near enough to make no difference to those who would be using it. Tal dusted his gloves off and stood back to admire their handiwork - but not joining the line to be one of the first recruits using it. His arms still felt a little noodly from his earlier climbing, and tomorrow was soon enough to personally test out the repairs.
He'd forgotten about Sah and Tom while he'd been fetching nails and hammering in new holds, but Deimos's reminder, brought a glint of smug pride to Tal's pale eyes as he gave a slow nod. "Yeah, I'll go take a look," he offered, savoring the thought of having finished his work before Sah did. Maybe a little humble flex to offer to help him out...
Tal headed off at a trot to poke his head in the armory and see how the other two were doing. "Hey, Jester, what's the hold up?" Tal asked his wickedly cheerful question before his eyes had a chance to adjust to the dimmer light, and he was blissfully unaware of the skunk just yet.
Tal goes to offer to help the armory team! ...whoops >.>
"Noah is a good friend and he has the biggest heart of anyone I've met in Caido. I think he'll do well." Sah had faith in Noah, and he knew that the man had numerous highly capable individuals in his corner, including Deimos. 'Tom' did make a valid point regarding his travels. Sah had one something similar when he first came to Caido. Even as he nodded, he added with genuine concern, "Just be careful. And take care of yourself."
And then a skunk was after his head and the prior conversation was abandoned. "Oh for fuck's sake!" Sah activated his mastered telekinesis and attempted to grab the skunk and hold it above the ground. At the same time, he tried to move out of the way of it's charge in case it broke free of his hold. Tal's arrival is completely ignored.
~
Sah activates his mastered telekinesis to try and grab the skunk and hold it in the air. He also tries to sidestep it's charge simultaneously in case his magic fails. He ignores Tal's arrival, too focused on the skunk.
Telekinesis: Can move large objects.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
The chaos and yelling that ensued from the armory was enough for Deimos to sigh, furrow his brow, and meander forward; though due to the bizarre bedlam shaping up inside, he stood outside the door. “What is going on?” Because one would think sorting and sifting through armaments to be a bit of a lackluster event.
Anybody else inside the confines…oof.
Amun, ahem, “Tom”, failed to deter the skunk as he hurled the piece of armor. It crashed against the wall, and the creature hissed and growled, unbothered and quite frankly, further rankled and perturbed by the notions of being assaulted. Sah’s efforts with his incantations weren’t off the mark, the spitting, obnoxious cretin winding away along the air, except –
It meant the fake Tom was in perfect range to be sprayed.
What followed thereafter was the noxious, pungent odor all over the Ascended, and those who happened to be nearby. Sah got some brunt of it, and Talyson, who’d wandered in, would only be on the fringes – likely enough to scamper out of range.
Surely, there were better ways to get rid of the heathen?
--
Classically awful dice rolls. Amun and Sah have been sprayed by a skunk, and the creature is still there – spiraling around on Sah’s magic!
03-22-2022, 09:52 PM (This post was last modified: 03-22-2022, 09:54 PM by Amun.)
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Cursing as the armor sailed way wide of its mark, Amun's eyes widened as he saw the skunk begin to rise and spin. "WAIT--" was all he managed to get out before the stench wafted over him. Even with an Ascended's reduced sense of smell it was pungent. Recoiling, he gagged and pinched his nose with one hand. "Hfor hfuck's hsake," he growled in a nasally tone.
Bending down he scooped up a helmet that had been bent out of shape and was more bowlike than anything else. His goal was to scoop the animal out of the air, sprint out the door, and toss the offending thing out into the nearest snow drift. Having already been sprayed, it's not like the situation could get any worse.
Of course, those were also famous last words.
Amun tries to scoop the skunk up with a helmet and yeet it out the door.
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)
It's official, Sah has decided that today is a loss. He's done, no more. The skunk sprays them and spirals away like a horrific twister. "That's it. We're killing it." There's no more mercy in the Abandoned.
Face pinched, he tried once more to grab it with his magic. One he thought he had a hold, Sah let it go. Or more specifically he attempted to throw the skunk full force out the door that Tal just conveniently opened. "Duck, Errand boy!" The Abandoned called out as he made his attempt. Because if we succeeded, Tal was in the way. And if he failed, well the other man might be close enough to be caught up in whatever happened next.
Sah tries to use his telekinesis to throw the skunk out the door Tal just opened.
Telekinesis: Can move large objects.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
There was hissing. There was spitting. There was cursing.
And then there was the skunk.
Tal's eyes hadn't fully adjusted, but he heard the shouting and got a whiff of the resulting odour.
Some men were born to be heroes. Some chose that path when thrust into the cruel machinery of fate, and rose to the challenge. They were always willing to put themselves between others and harm's way with quick reflexes, selfless hearts, and noble spirits.
Talyson Seawright had one of these three things.
"Nope!"
Far more quickly than he had opened the door, Tal attempted to slam it closed on the scent and chaos within, meeting Deimos's eyes with grim honesty.
