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!
05-12-2022, 03:26 AM (This post was last modified: 06-07-2022, 06:28 PM by Hadama.)
The morning was sunny, balmy, and just lightly breezy: a perfect Deepfrost day in Torchline. Hadama floated in the canal nearest to the Court of Stars, gauging the distance between himself and the stairs with thoughtful eyes. Nearby a pile of supplies of wood, stone, bone, and tools were already growing as he called in the small favors he’d been gathering for the past season in preparation for the tunnel to be built from the canals to the healing Fountain within the Court.
Several large, flattish shells rested on the side of the canal nearby; rough architectural plans had been expertly scratched into their nacre, black lines clear and clean against the pastel sheen of the mother of pearl. A handful of merfolk had come as well, staying below the water for now with their own supplies: large nets of carefully harvested coral from the sunless depths, rather than the shallow reef corals the drylanders might be familiar with; others continued to ferry long, curved rib bones through the canals, or stacked the shells of giant clams in easy reach.
Hadama looked up from he had been consulting with Queen Maeve over the depth of the tunnel, checking to see who had already arrived.
This is a PQ to give the merfolk access to Safrin’s healing fountain by building an underwater tunnel beneath the Court of Stars! It is expected to run 8+ rounds.
05-12-2022, 03:41 PM (This post was last modified: 05-12-2022, 03:42 PM by Maeve.)
Maeve
Hadama had organized pretty much the whole thing and Maeve was pleased to not have something else to worry about on her plate. She'd done her part, of course. Many favors were called in and supplies was gathered. A group of Torchers ready to help work on the surface, many of them willing to help the Queen out with this particular matter. "I think we can manage to only make it slightly deeper than the canals. Have it shoot off of this branch. We just need to make sure we have good support along the walls." The Nightshade explains, brows knitting together in concentration as she studies one of the shells.
"I've sectioned off a portion of the inside where you will be able to have access." It would still be a lot of work, but Maeve wasn't going to keep them from being able to get to the waters too just because they didn't live on land.
If you're a lover, you should know The lonely moments just get lonelier
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
Melita, eternally available to collaborate or work, didn’t hesitate to assist Hadama – considering how many times the merman had done the same for her. She just didn’t really contemplate, fathom, or understand just how this venture was going to kick off. But she figured a pair of hands would be enough.
Skipping along, and sizing up the stores, the rib bones, the supplies, and then her gaze hovered briefly to the water itself (she could remember a time, as a little imp with her sister and best friend, all of them pressing their noses against a tunnel of glass, below and beneath waves – but those had been made and christened by gods). Presuming others had far better ideas and implications of how this was all going to go, she rallied forth. “Here to help!” And then she tilted her head, listening to the exchange of words and supports.
Yuna arrives with the other merfolk, eternally curious (or possibly looking to get into or get out of some other trouble). Surfacing near silently somewhere behind Hadama, she examines the supplies, the shells and the plans with dark eyes and quick fingers skimming across the water.
"I'll do what I can to help as well," she announces, sinking a little back into the depths such that her tangle of black hair fans out, much like the tentacles that mimic the movement beneath. Whether she will be remotely helpful remains to be seen, but all things come to those who try, right? Right.
06-07-2022, 09:34 PM (This post was last modified: 06-07-2022, 09:34 PM by Hadama.)
He nodded deeply to Melita in heartfelt greeting, and made room for Yuna beside him while he showed Maeve the plans.
"Safrin warned of the instability of the ground here," Hadama murmured with a respectful shake of his head at Maeve's suggestion. "And I have asked the engineers. With the sand, it will be safest to dig two wells, straight down--" He shuffled another shell plan on top to show her, "One in the canal, the other beside the fountain, to the sandstone. About five feet down from the bottom of the canal. Perhaps fifteen from the land level inside the Court."Assuming the canals were already ten feet deep?"Then a rounded tunnel to connect them beneath. Any shallower, and the weight of the building above could collapse the tunnel where it passes underneath." It meant more work, but that was the price of working through sand.
"The mer will begin our well here. The humans will dig the well within the court. Reinforcing the walls so the sand does not slide back in will be the difficult part," he admitted. "On the dryland side, fire magic may fuse the sand to stability while you work." Like the lava tubes of the Fingers. "Or perhaps wooden boards may be used to hold the sand back while you dig." If fire was unavailable; he didn't know the full complement of abilities the human team possessed. "Underwater, we will use the giant clam shells. Assemble them in rings the width of the well and sink them into place as the sand is removed, so it does not slip back." He nodded to Yuna and the other merfolk helpers. ”Please ask if you have any questions.” And there were wiser heads than his among those gathered who could hopefully answer.
”We will meet here again when the wells are finished, before we begin the tunnels.” Which would require a different approach. For now, though, Hadama dove down to the broad circle indicated with stones on the canal’s bottom and, snagging a large curved shell, began to dig the sand away while another mer used a delicate application of water magic to move the sandy water downstream and keep the working area clear.
Round 1: All’s Well That Ends in a Well!
Human tasks:
1. Digging sand out
2. Stabilizing the walls of the hole (magic, materials, something else creative?)
Mer tasks:
1. Digging sand out
2. Assembling the giant clam shell rings that will become the well’s walls (how you connect the shells is up to you!)
Both PCs can do both tasks or divide them; feel free to use NPCs to assist or fill in as needed!
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
Ever the curious infidel, Melita’s eyes went briefly to the other mer rising briefly out of the water, but then her attention span had to be quantified to the directions and tasks given. It was as complicated as she’d figured, and she listened to the back and forth, striving to understand the notions as best she could.
She contemplated her fire – but it was from arrows – so maybe Maeve’s whip would be better suited to the task. “Well, I can dig the sand out,” and she showed an arm muscle, briefly, before hastening off with a quick grin.
Snagging at a shovel, the honeybee ensured her restless, unrelenting energy went towards the maneuvering of grains and granules, so that it would be easier for everyone else involved.
While Maeve has built many different structures, none of them have been like this and she takes Hadama's word for it. The Nightshade listens closely, examining the offered plan, tracing it over with her fingers. "I can have Aidon help with the fire." He would be able to do enough to accomplish what it is that Hadama is suggesting. The Nightshade straightens up, nodding, "Alright, we'll get started on this and meet you back here." With a whistle, Aidon swoops down from his perch on top of the Court of Stars, landing beside her with a trill.
Melita sets off to start digging and Maeve comes behind her with Aidon hot on her heels. She waits for her to dig a section before motioning for her to get out. "Let's go a little at a time. Dig and then have Aidon reinforce." Which is exactly what they do. As soon as Melita is done with the first section, Aidon releases a gout of flame on the walls.
Maeve has Aidon reinforce the well with fire.
If you're a lover, you should know The lonely moments just get lonelier
Nodding at Hadama's instructions and watching as the humans departed to get to their side of the work, Yuna follows down to their portion of the well digging. With a combination of shells for digging and water magic for filtering away the sand, she puts herself to use assembling the rings with the giant clam shells.
Tethering them with seaweed seems a reliable option, although Yuna is concerned that it might degrade over time. Still, the same would be true of any rope she attempted to use, and if applied correctly, the weeds might continue to grow once the shells were embedded. So with that in mind, she begins the construction of the first ring.
Is this large enough? she asks Hadama once it is nearly complete. Let me know when I can sink it in place.
Safrin said there'd be days like these. She had warned specifically of the difficulty in digging through the sandy soil of Torchline's coast. And she had not been lying.
On the human side of things, the dry earth was clearly not cooperating with Melita's attempts to remove it from the hole. She and several of the townsfolk who had arrived to help were finding it hard to remove enough sand for Aidon to get a good angle on the walls. The more they dug, the more the loose ground at the edges of their work slipped and slid right back in around their ankles. Maeve's idea had been a good one, but no sooner had a section been removed and the dragon began heating it then more sand poured in over the top of it. Maybe better coordination was needed, or simply better luck?
The mer suffered similar problems; or at least, Hadama did. He and his helpers shifted sand from the canal bottom and swam a short distance away to deposit it, only to return and find the gentle current had reduced their effort to little more than a shallow depression in the bottom of the canal. It was slow, frustrating work with little visible progress.
Yuna, at least was finding her hard work paying off. Hadama paused in his shoveling to examine her ring and nodded approval. She had even managed to keep the seaweed arrive while threading it, and with luck it would create a living barrier against further erosion of the well walls after a season or two. Yes. The size is right. Digging first is not working. Can you hold the ring in place; steady it and push it down while we dig, so the sand cannot slip back in? he suggested.
Round 2: Try, try again
Melita and Maeve, don't give up! Maybe recruit some help from the NPCs?
Yuna and Hadama, with the first ring completed now you just need to get enough sand out of the way for it to go down!
Having been thoroughly distracted with her own work (which seems to have paid off, at least!) Yuna glances up to find that not as much progress has been made in digging the tunnel. And so as Hadama suggests she change tactics to help out, she is all too eager to assist. Of course, let me see what I can do.
With a pulse of tentacles that sends her closer to where the merfolk are attempting their excavation, Yuna lowers her ring over the shallow depression in the sand. There she will attempt to assist digging, as well as pushing the clam shells into place to allow them to create a well in earnest. Like this?
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
Well, that was annoying.
Melita was known to grumble and growl a bit, so it probably came as no surprise that no matter how much she dug down, nothing was working, and there were a few curse words thrown at the sand. “All right,” she mustered after a bit, muscles already aching, despite strength, endurance, and fortitude mixed right into her lean form. She gestured to several more onlookers, in what would definitely convey a demand, a command. “Let’s try again, folks,” and that way, hopefully, Maeve’s idea could come into fruition.
Back to digging, with more helpers, Fangorn’s vines, and Sila’s encouragement.
--
Melita recruits some NPCs to help her dig out the sand, try 2.
Annoyed and more than a little sweaty, the Queen huffs, bracing her hands on her hips for a second as she examines the work they've accomplished thus far.
"Try to scrape up instead of down. We're knocking a lot of sand loose when digging into the side of the wall." Maeve suggests, hoping that this works better than what they were doing before. With clearer instruction, more hands on deck, and the sheer determination that comes from Torchliners, they get back to work. Focusing on smaller sections this time, Aidon heats the sides of the walls in more concentrated bursts.
They try the same move again!
If you're a lover, you should know The lonely moments just get lonelier
Exactly like that, Hadama agreed as Yuna steadied the ring of giant mollusc halves into the bed of the canal with her tentacles and kept the sand from sifting back into the depression where Hadama went back to scooping the sand out with his shell shovel. A few of their fellows joined them, helping to hold down the far end of the large shell-ring from Yuna to keep it from over balancing and make sure it sank evenly into the deepening well shaft. Working in tandem the mer were finally able to make progress. The work wasn't swift, but it was steady and grew easier the deeper they went as the soil became firmer and less sandy. With the help of their fellows they had soon sunk their shaft down the depth of two rings, and Hadama paused to let them rest.
One more ring's depth, and then we will start digging the cross tunnel, he informed his crew as he measured how far they had come.
The land crew was still struggling to make progress, unfortunately. It was two steps forward and one step back. Melita's great strength worked against her as loose soil simply flowed around her shovel, but eventually her endurance tipped the scales in her favor and the well began to deepen beneath her feet with the help of the other Torchers to shift the dirt farther away from the edge of the shaft so it couldn't slide back in.
Maeve's suggestion was a good one, and while Aidon's increased focus yielded some success in hardening smaller patches of the walls into a thick, blackened glass it also meant he was moving too slowly to keep up with Melita. Once more it was the townsfolk who tipped the scales as several brought over boards to hold back the slipping soil and and until Aidon could get to each section in turn.
Round 3: I'm so sorry about these dice rolls
Mer should only need one more round to finish their well; how should they modify the final ring to give access to the tunnel?
Humans are a bit behind and may need two more rounds to finish the exit shaft unless the luck turns. Bonuses are given for creative solutions ;D
Pleased with their progress, and with a lot more limbs than the average Mer to help with things, Yuna bobs back in the water to consider their next step. Do you think we ought to sink the final ring at an angle? she asks, attempting to use her tentacles to demonstrate. If we were to dig deeper on one side so we could sink it into the earth diagonally, it would act as a curvature for the cross tunnel?
Going at right angles underground seems strange for reasons that Yuna can't quite articulate, but given their use of circular rings for the well, a gentle curve into a tunnel feels... right. If not, I'm happy with any ideas anyone else has. Smiling to Hadama, she nonetheless goes to grab the last ring to prepare to sink it into the well.
Yuna suggests sinking the final ring at an angle to create a curvature for the cross tunnel.
