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!
04-14-2022, 06:20 PM (This post was last modified: 04-18-2022, 11:16 AM by Isla.)
ISLA
Isla gets sad, but then after a while, she gets busy instead. It's a breezy Leafchange night when she approaches the Spire, a group in tow to finally start making something of the hollow tower that had been the centre of the Hollowed Grounds for so long.
"We won't get this done in just one night," she warns as she comes to a halt before the open doors. "This will just be to deal with the ground floor. Be careful, though - the centre of the Spire is gone, so be wary where you walk. It won't do any of us any good if we fall down into the basement area."
Murmuring her thanks to a few NPCs volunteers who have brought supplies, Isla turns to her group and smiles. "Are we ready?"
This will be a PQ+ to help raise the defences of the Hollowed Grounds by bolstering the Spire! Isla has corralled a few NPC volunteers and they have brought cleaning supplies and some building/construction equipment. Isla has everything her profile and also a small medical bag in case any non-Ascended get hurt.
Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck
There was a curve to her shoulders that spoke of unease as Maea regarded the Spire, hands tucked deep into the pocket of her ratty coat. How she had wound up volunteering for this she couldn't quite say. A mixture of listening too much to Amun's endless suggestions and being at the wrong place at the wrong time, perhaps. Maybe it was more along the lines of wanting to face some inner demons. Either way, she had never expected to set foot in that looming black tower again.
It was like coming full circle, only to realize that no progress had been made this entire time.
"Ready as I'll ever be," she mumbled in response to Isla's question. A quick look was passed to the others in the group; some she knew while others were complete strangers, but even familiar faces had a cast of novelty to them in her eyes. It had been a long time since Maea spent time around anyone, especially here in the Grounds.
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Maea brings everything on her profile and herself.
Maea
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Busy is good. Busy is how Wessex usually copes with shitty events, so when Isla says that she would like help in cleaning up the Spire, the demigod readily agrees. Plus, she’s got some useful abilities that might come in handy here and there… you never know.
Giving the Remedy a subdued wave and Maea a cordial nod, Wessex (and Loki, let’s not forget her) stands at the base of the black tower and looks up, up, up at the top, briefly remembering when she’d lead a group here to open the door in the middle of the night. That was the beginning, wasn’t it? And the end. “Yep,” she affirms casually, looking to their Overseer for directions. IT’s nice to not have to give directions for once.
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Wessex doesn't have the Knowtbook when she arrives. She does, however, have several knives in various hiding places and Loki
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
The shaman has only heard tales of what others have seen firsthand, stories of deities and demons and destruction. Surely there remains some arcane significance in this place, some knowledge of the past or promise of power that might be glimpsed by anyone who can get close enough. It was such motives as these that urged her to volunteer, though she is prepared not to be entirely useless either.
Instead of her typical skull-mask, which would surely be heavy and awkward during the hard labor ahead, Chaele’s face is obscured with a smear of pale green paint. When one of the other workers mumbled a passing question about it, she gave some pretext about personal beliefs and excused herself to a quiet corner of the worksite. Dressed in a practical brown dress that disguises the mud on its hem and covers her arms to the wrist, she holds a small wooden case as she listens patiently to the overseer.
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Chaele carries a hunting knife and an herbalist’s box, which contains various bleached bones with augury markings, a small bag of goofer dust, a sheaf of ramphire feathers, smudging sticks tied with sage and vanilla grass, a small flintsteel device, and bundles of copal, lavender, mugwort, and garlic.
04-16-2022, 01:43 PM (This post was last modified: 04-16-2022, 01:45 PM by Darkeye.)
DARKEYE
Darkeye looked around and is glad to be able to move again - this is where it started. Bastien picked him up here and fate took its course. The worst here he knew. He was glad to see Wessex. They hadn't talked much since the last time. He would have to catch up on that.
Darkeye nodded in a friendly way, he didn't have a piece of metal with him. He also keeps his distance from the others who carry metal.
He carries simple leather without rivets and a wooden spear as well as a wooden sword. A dagger made from a dragon's tooth.
"Let's get started then Isla, thank you for inviting me." He says confidently. He greets every other with a nod or handshaking.
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Darkeye does not have his metal spear in exchange for a wooden spear with a stone tip. Like his dragon tooth dagger. No metal he carries with him.
Nikolai arrives and makes a small noise of surprise at just how many people are present. Isla and Wessex get brief smiles, but the others simply get nods due to their unfamiliarity. Darkeye, well... Nikolai recognizes him but he's yet to make up his mind on f he likes the cleric or not. Regardless the unfamiliar faces make him glad that he's wearing his glasses. Glancing at those present he quickly takes note of just what the strangers are. An Abandoned, an Ascended, and an Accepted. Huh.
Turning his eyes to the spire, Nikolai nods. "I'm ready." The spire was always an intimidating sight to see. Sharp edges and dark history made for quite the presence after all. Adjusting his grip on the bag he's brought, Nikolai readies himself for their first task. He hopes this goes well and he can get home and read.
~
Nikolai arrives. He brings everything on his provide and a bag that contains rope, three daggers, a notebook, and a pencil. He uses his spyglasses to quickly determine the races of those he doesn't recognize.
Type: Grey | Style: Other | Level: Basic
Spy-Racial Glasses | When worn by an ascended, reveals the race of anyone looked at through them.
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)
Well lookie lookie here! It's been a long, long time since anyone tried to build up the Spire instead of tearing it down. You've got a LOT of work ahead of you.
As you enter the ground floor of the blown out phallus obsidian tower, you will be greeted with a great wall of darkness, above all. Those who are not Ascended (or Attuned with the ability to partial shift and see in the dark) will find this to be very hard going.
First steps, if you so choose: get some light.
And then? Stairs clogged with rubble spiral upwards and downwards, and the centre of the ground floor is little more than a gaping black hole that plummets down into the basement where the portal lies. You'll want to start clearing out rubble to make some space to walk.
Careful where you step!
Welcome to the PQ+ to raise the defences of the HG! Your randomly chosen post order is:
In they go - the whole lot of them. As the darkness settles over them, Wessex calls out to either Darkeye or the other stranger, “Holler if you need a torch lit so you can see,” but otherwise she leaves them to their own devices.
The Wraith takes a moment to scan the area and the rubble and see what might be the best use of her strength. “I can handle the largest and heaviest pieces when you come to them,” she offers, in an effort to keep everything moving efficiently. If there isn’t anything immediately in front of them on the stairs, whenever the group comes to something large or heavy looking, Wessex will step in to move it out of their way.
In the meantime, however, she starts to clean off the stairs heading up.
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Wessex offers to light a torch for the non-Ascended if need be and tackle anything heavy or bulky the group comes across. In the meantime, she starts cleaning the stairs going up.
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck
It was easy to imagine a chill going down her spine as the building swallowed them all up. For a moment Maea was back in the past, running desperately up the stairs and choking on poison gas while her friends lay coughing on the floor behind her - but before they could stir up real panic, she shook her head and focused on Wessex' back in front of her, on the treacherous footing and on the cleric who came walking behind herself.
"Let me give you some light," she offered, with a glance behind her back. Holding out a hand, Maea closed the circuits in her palm and allowed a current of electricity to lick the skin. She did not extend the ray farther than her fingers; while the blueish light cast was faint and flickering, she hoped it might at least spare someone the agony of falling through a hole.
With only one hand left to work with and not much attention left for more complex tasks, she began to shift smaller rocks and debris from the path leading downward. "Let me know if anyone needs a hand somewhere, and I'll be right there."
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Maea uses her ability to create some light. She offers to help out anyone who needs an extra hand. Literally just one, though.
Type: Offensive | Level: Upgraded
Electrical Touch Upgrade | Can complete electrical circuits in the user's palm which release a current of electricity. This bolt can extend 10ft and be maintained with concentration. Can cause disorientation and muscle-malfunction.
Maea
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
As his eyes quickly adjust to the dark, Nikolai sends a quick prayer up the Voice in thanks for his night vision. Eyeing the crumbling stairs and debris, he's thankful that he won't be fumbling around with compromised vision. The younger Ascended falls in line behind Wessex, heading up the stairs. He trusts her judgment and if she says up, then he's going up.
"I'll work on moving some of the other debris then while you get the larger pieces." Nikolai sends a glance back at the others, eyes catching on the two non-Ascended, "Hopefully there will be less to trip on then." Falling down half broken stairs would seriously hurt.
~
Nikolai follows Wessex up the stairs and clears what debris he can along the way.
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)
Darkeye looks around now that there is light. "Thank you Maea for the light. That makes it a little easier for me. Thanks Wessex for the offer if you could make light at your place it would be good too I think." Darkeye looks around again to get a better view of the situation with the light. The debris was all over the place, maybe there was also traffic. It was probably better to stay together when you thought of your curse. He would not be intimidated so quickly by Voice. But now words were not so important it counted actions.
Darkeye tried to keep an eye on the surroundings. He was here to help. He would get his hands dirty when he was told. He tried to stay close to Maea to keep the light with him. "Tell me where to go and I'll be there," he said calmly. He could not afford a misstep. The structure was very unstable. He already tried to estimate where he would have to support which stone. "Do we have a map of this place?"
-----
Darkeye stayed close to Maea, trying to keep a close eye on the surrounding area. He uses the end of his staff to keep checking his stride to see if it is stable enough. (Sorry I thought it wasn't my turn yet)
They set off to work without complaint, and for a moment Isla can be little more than proud of them. She might be Overseer but she is by no means the best suited for this sort of work, so the help will not go unnoticed. "Thank you," she calls to Maea with a nod, not having anticipated non-Ascended joining with them. The light would definitely be a big help.
In the meantime, the medic also begins to pick her way around the ring of stone leftover from the ground floor. She grabs up a spade from the construction supplies and uses it to begin scraping some of the small / medium pieces of rubble back towards the entrance so they can take it all out. "No map," she says to Darkeye. "This place is a bit of a mystery even to Ascended. We know what's on certain floors, but I don't think anyone has ever explored it top to bottom."
Chaele peers into the darkness, perturbed by the weakness that so few around her share. Her curiosity seethes like resentment as she watches the others file into the ruined tower. The stair quickly becomes crowded with those clearing rubble, so she looks toward the materials that have been gathered and makes herself useful there.
To Maea’s offer, but loud enough for anyone to hear, she replies, “If you see any rubble with flat surfaces, bring it out. Those could be used to reconstruct the floor.”
She has made mortar out of mud and grass before, but the supplies here are somewhat more advanced. Her flintsteel is enough to light the fire in the kiln, then she busies her hands with pouring the lime and sand into its bowl. A series of small pigeon bones are retrieved from her box, carved with runes of luck and augury, then are broken into the mixture. When the mortar seems to be suitably stewing, Chaele steps away to approach Isla.
“For what it may be worth,” she suggests, holding up her well-worn herb box. “I offer rites of purification and blessing to clear any lingering energies.”
---
Chaele tasks the group with looking out for flat pieces of rubble, does some hoodoo on the fresh mortar, and asks Isla about the possibility of more wards.
It's a dream when we work as a team, as another PQ+ wisely said.
With ample light to work by, Wessex and Nikolai are able to start clearing the rubble from the stairs, and the Wraith is more than capable of carting out the heavier pieces. They do, however, hear a sort of... chittering, perhaps. It seems to be coming from further up the stairs.
While Maea and Isla begin scraping out the finer bits of rubble without a problem, and Chaele's mortar indeed begins to stew away nicely, Darkeye will find his footing suddenly very unstable indeed.
In fact, upon his next step, the stone beneath his feet crumbles inwards, and he begins to fall into the hole in the centre of the floor! Better act quick to help!
Welcome to the PQ+ to raise the defences of the HG! Your randomly chosen post order is:
