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!
Um, no, no. Krakens don't have hands, and the mere thought of tentacles tipped with five fingers is enough to have Ronin's skin trying to crawl off his bones, thanks. Good thing this is all in introspection, because fuck if we don't have to make up that wordcount somehow. Anyway.
If they weren't so far beneath the waves such that a lot of their strength and endurance was likely going towards stabilising their bodies against the pressure, Ronin might have whooped to see them regaining - and keeping - that upper haaaaatentacle. For now. Hang in there, he urges Remi, and then, Do you think it knows what a relic is? This is punctuated by another trio of bolts which Ronin launches at the daddy kraken.
Ronin does his very best, that no one ever was. (Shoots more starbolts).
Magic: Shooting Stars | The user may summon celestial energy as a projectile. Control is excellent, and multiple projectiles may be created at once. (In quests or other combat situations requiring dice rolling, only 3 stars may be created per post).
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
Magic: FEAT | Now You! | When Ronin successfully hits a target, the next ally who posts gains advantage on their attack.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
whydon'tyoufuckingdrawitapicture Remi's mind replies, snarling out the words in one long jumble. You did not need to breathe with mental speech after all, and it wasn't as if eloquence just now was Remi's main priority.
What was, you ask? Other than meeting the word count when in fact nothing new was happening? Keeping the large kraken restrained so that this could finally, finally, end. Funny how context made things seem so relative; like how pain could exist in the infinities between a heart beat, or how 100 words sometimes seem impossible to write.
Tightening his grip around the creature that he might keep it bound, Remi thinks: an item. a powerful one. an old one. that is what we seek.
Same, same, saaame.
Kraken Ability | Legendary size
& it rained and rained and rained
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Not one for banter or small talk, all the Sword could do was arch a brow at the words rallying back and forth, striving not to snort when he should’ve been concentrating on the task at hand. He supposed he could’ve tried to converse with the kraken too – but with recent experiences (squidling) withstanding, he figured he wouldn’t bother.
Instead, he aimed to rinse and repeat the same methods as before (why cease and desist when this one was working out just fine?) – summoning into the dirges of his strength, dominion, and demolition once more. The familiar, inherent force continued its unrelenting fervor and power, the life drain aiming, seeking, to annihilate the gigantic creature again.
--
Surprise surprise, its Mastered Life Drain again!
Life Drain : Can take life force from a living thing to temporarily make themselves stronger within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light we have always been deep, restless souls
From being the largest (and highest HP) creature in all of Caido thus far, to being bombarded by two demigods and a might-as-well-be-a-demi-god, the Daddy Kraken seemed smaller somehow despite the massive amount of space it still occupied. Though it was Remi who was holding onto it, it was that kraken who somehow disengaged, shrinking and contorting in that strange way cephalopods have. ........ The kraken thinks into their minds; what Remi, Ronin, and Deimos will hear is not so much a sound, but a feeling. Almost like the stillness before an avalanche.
..not for you.. The creature elaborates as it tries to slip down towards the bottom of the Maw. ...need... In the darkness it gestures with its tentacles, making claw-shaped motions. ...what they have...with the small tentacles on..i give. you go.
You didn't become the thing of legends and myths by continuing fights you knew you couldn't win.
Welcome to the Relic KQ!
Because this has plot ramifications, it (and all subsequent relic KQs) will be scaled based on level and more difficult than normal). Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well. If you don't do this, they won't be taken into account!
Your randomly assigned posting order is: Ronin, Remi, Deimos. You have 24 hours to reply.
Ronin is ready, his starbolts burning in a halo around him through the water, and only as the colossal creature speaks does he withold them, allowing them to fizzle back out. Unable to exchange a glance with Remi given his enormous size and shape, the Huntsman instead raises a brow at Deimos, as if to say are you fucking hearing this too?
Thank you, he thinks back down the Attuned bond, allowing himself to sink further into the depths towards the bottom of the Maw, though he isn't moving quickly compared to, say, a kraken. We can do that. Sorry for... You know. The almost massacre.
It feels different, monster hunting, when the monster does something nice for you.
Ronin absolutely does not keep attacking, instead trying to swim towards the bottom of the Maw to investigate the item the Daddy Kraken talks about.
By contrast, Remi is not sorry, not with nearly half of his health sapped away in just a few jerks. It could be a trap The alchemist warns, and given the sheer size disparity, he'll try and reach the bottom faster than either of his counterparts can if only because they won't be able to shrug off a blow from the creature as easily as he can. With no love for Isla anymore Remi isn't inclined to get to the relic first so that he can keep it, merely so that only one of them needs to go and drown themselves in the Fountain of the Stars when all this is through.
If what you have is indeed the relic, we will go. Remi remarks carefully, and though his father taught him precious little of value, knowing how and when one might be swindled was indeed one of those things.
Remi tries to get to the bottom first incase it's a trap.
& it rained and rained and rained
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Oh, Deimos had heard it. He too had a very curious, surprised, measure through the bond, the arch of his brow turning quizzical. For a few moments, he thought the same as Ronin - poorly, about mauling. Especially a sentient creature who knew what it was doing.
And then suspicious, for the very same reason.
He hasn’t lived this long by being an overly trusting soul, so as both Remi and Ronin dove downwards, he remained where he was. I can attack it if it tries anything, sending the message through Attuned bonds, which doubled as a warning for the kraken too.
—
Deimos stays where he is and is ready to attack if necessary. If it does attack, he’ll use his Mastered Life Drain.
who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light we have always been deep, restless souls
As the Daddy Kraken descends farther and should Ronin follow, if he remains unshifted he'll feel his eardrums begin to threaten to burst. The pressure this far down is excruciating and the water quite cold. Through the murk and the darkness the creature brushes away silt and sand to reveal wood and planks, rotted and warped from years beneath the waves (in fact, these are the hulls of ships, and it's only the kraken's size that makes them look no larger than planks of wood). Manipulating these easily with its tentacles, a treasure trove of items appears. Mageglass, glowing jewels, glittering coins, and skeletal remains seemingly inlaid with precious gems. It was hard to see what else might be hidden away, but it isn't hard to assume that a creature as long-lived and inclined to hoard as the kraken was, would have some very valuable things indeed.
Prodding a pair of unremarkable gloves from the items, the kraken raises its tentacle up, holding them out with a single sucker for either Remi or Ronin to take. ..now you go. this fall long, long ago. take and leave.
Welcome to the Relic KQ!
Because this has plot ramifications, it (and all subsequent relic KQs) will be scaled based on level and more difficult than normal). Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well. If you don't do this, they won't be taken into account!
Your randomly assigned posting order is: Ronin, Remi, Deimos. You have 24 hours to reply.
Ronin does shift, more to ensure that his husband has backup than because he's particularly keen to grab the relic. His size expands and elongates, a leviathan's scales replacing the minute Huntsman, though he's just as agile given the vast amount of space.
Gloves...? Deimos will be able to hear that through the bond, Ronin slithering lower to properly examine the relic that Daddy Kraken offers out. Remi, would you...? The Lullaby is much more capable of capturing such a small item with a sucker; Ronin might accidentally swallow it by taking it in his teeth.
We will go, he confirms, though he feels as though the pulse of gentle persuasion through the bond to Remi will probably be necessary.
Ronin shifts into a leviathan, asks if Remi would be able to take the gloves using his tentacle suckers, and confirms that they will go.
Like any good predator, Remi is keenly aware of just how wounded his fellow kraken is. Drained and blasted as it is, Remi could probably tear it apart if he chose to. He could have even stuffed it down into its treasure chest where its dying body could be dispersed forever over its hoard of items.
But.
Stretching out a tentacle, there's a pulse of violet-coloured energy that shivers through him. A feeling of wild wonder and amazement such that it suddenly felt as though anything might be possible. If this wasn't a relic it was certainly something more than just a mere pair of gloves. Sliding out one of his other tentacles to brush against one of Ronin's scales, Remi's mind snarls something wordless as he ascends without a parting comment.
Remi takes the gloves and swims up.
& it rained and rained and rained
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
It seemed there was nothing more to be done, as he hovered and waited for something to occur. No attack, no assault, no siege, as the rest descended and he stood guard. Eventually, Ronin’s words echoed in his Attuned connections - gloves? Perhaps the relic. Perhaps something else entirely. It would remain to be seen, as they all began to part ways from the onslaughts and deep.
Taking the cue as Remi began to rise, the Sword did the same, launching upwards and following through. Maybe their work here was complete, though the inquiry stayed with him, the experience of other artifacts of similar ilk at the forefront of his mind. Hopefully, the entire venture would have proved worthwhile.
—-
Deimos starts to head up.
who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light we have always been deep, restless souls
Whatever the Daddy Kraken thinks about the trade of the gloves for its life is not communicated through the bond. So long as the trio leaves, the creature will slip into one of the vast cracks lining the Maw wherein the Kraken has kept the volcano dormant for centuries and where, presumably, it will continue to do so.
~FIN
Remi has received: Gambler's Gloves | A pair of supple leather gloves, seemingly innocuous. Doubles the user's Luck stat.
