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!
Darkeye didn't pack much, but some things that were necessary to get along without his forge for a while. He took only his favorite tools with him. He had a promise to keep and didn't want to keep Ronin waiting too long.
Arriving on the last airship, he took stock of what was needed to prepare decent housing for the people of Stormbreak again. Someone had to do it, and he wasn't going to ask Nate or Wessex or Amun to do it, because in his eyes it wouldn't have been possible. But what he could do was build things. At least that way he could try to make amends.
He had already spent some time in his forge, drawing plans of what it might look like. He would be different. Part of him would form Caido when he was finished. The only question was whether Ronin would allow it or if something had to be changed. Whether there would be enough volunteers to help. And also the material had to be good enough.
But the cleanup was the priority. The stones had to be cleaned and if necessary hewn again. The remains of the former tower will become the new stones for the new apartment buildings. But first, he had to talk to Ronin, so he sent a guard to get the lord of this city to discuss with him what was necessary to start.
----
This is a pq for the construction and cleanup of Stormbreak. There are still some spots open and there is a lot to do.
Scaffolding needs to be erected
Stone blocks need to be stacked
Clean up work
Forging jobs for nails, staples, and nets.
"Hello, Darkeye." Ronin smiles as he approaches the other man, glancing around at the ruined area and holding back the deep sigh that always wants to escape at the reminder of all the destruction. "It's good to see you again, though I wish it were warmer for you." His boots crunch through the hard packed snow, and he finally falls to a halt beside Darkeye, pushing his hands into his pockets.
"Please, put me to work as you see fit," he says. "I'm interested to see your plans, and I'm no stranger to construction work or heavy lifting. If there are stones to move or other cleaning to get on with, I'm more than happy to start there."
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
Just as the man had promised, and Lena had done on her own attempts at convictions, the day and hours had come to attempt and fix what had been broken. They’d done their best in between intervals, but no one could say the work was complete – not when life had to maneuver on.
That testament stuck to the back of her mind as she strolled in after Ronin, obliging a smile to both men in turn. “I can help.” Though she wouldn’t be near their physical abilities, the Caretaker was a sharp, determined thing, and not daunted by the notions of hard work or labor. Especially when it was for a good cause. “Whatever you need,” applied with an ample smile, and a tugging of her gloves, wrenching them further down her wrists.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
Darkeye is indeed pleased to see Ronin again, and gives him a small bow before speaking, "Lord Ronin, it is an honor. I said I would come again. I am used to these temperatures and fortunately, I met someone who advised me well on the skins and fabrics. I hope that a few more volunteers will join me, otherwise, it will take a lot more work" he says and spreads out his plans. On the table next to the fire pits.
He then looked up again and was happy to see Lena and a slight smirk could be seen."I'm glad to see you too Lena, I think we can use everyone here who wants to help." He also gave her a bow and invited her to take a look at his plans. "I'm happy to listen to your opinions and even make some changes." He said kindly
Darkeye looks closely at the situation and considers. "The most important thing is to put the stones we need aside and throw the others into the sea or something similar, if you could do that Ronin I would be grateful. We need space otherwise we can not build a foundation properly but for that, the area must be clean all the smaller stones must be put in baskets so that Ronin can concentrate on the big ones if that would be possible for you Lena. My plan is to pile the stones into houses and create a dwelling and from the rest a memorial that commemorates the dead. I will go to the forge and cast and forge some nails and lugs. I hope it will be well received by the people, if not, just tear it down again."He said with a slight smile on his lips he hoped that besides Ronin and Lena more people would come to help. He then wanted to go into the forge and start but then he thought of something uncomfortable. "I hope this doesn't happen to you, but there could still be dead people under the stones if you don't trust yourself to do this."He turned around and went back into the forge.
----
You have the choice:
Clean and clear all the big stones to the side.
Help with the forging.
Clean up the construction site
Assign people to clean and command people.
Pay respects to the dead you find and find out their names.
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
Memorials. Commemorations. A plunge in her heart collected along her ribcage, settling there as her eyes went to the ground, to the rock and rubble, to where things and people and places stood – tightening the grasp over her own basket. She nodded once, with a tight smile that ensured some layer of discomfort was felt, but she certainly wouldn’t say anything, before getting to work.
Her hands went to the smaller stones, crouching as she’d done seasons before, striving to unearth citizens who’d fallen. The memories lurked just under the surface of her skin, and she placed them, one by one, as a means of distraction, of determination, to not fall under the push and pull of grief.
--
Lena grabs at the smaller stones.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
"Please, just call me Ronin," he murmurs with a soft smile, stepping up beside Darkeye to look the plans over and listen to his ideas. Nodding his approval, he's already shrugging out of his coat to give him more freedom of movement to haul the large stones out of the way. "I can do that," he confirms. "I'll put any rubble that can't be used to one side, to throw over the Falling later."
Before he gets to work, he does linger by Lena, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze and offering her an apologetic look. "If you need me, just call," he tells her, before stepping away to begin his own work. It looks almost absurd to watch a man haul boulders with his bare hands, but such is the strength of demigods, and Ronin works without complaint.
Darkeye heats up his forge properly. He has already laid out the most makeshift items and begins to forge his nails and clamps for the beams. He also shoos some volunteers around to take care of the other tasks.
One side of the tent is open so that he can see everything and after 10 strokes he looks outside again and calls a messenger to coordinate the people.
The stones for Ronin are no problem but it takes a lot of time to move the big stones to the side. Unfortunately, it does not take long to find the first evidence of corpses that have been crushed by the mass of the tower. It is a picture that is not easy to look at for everyone. There are also some stones no longer usable. Where does Ronin put them?
Lena has it a little easier and manages her workload quickly, but she must be careful not to cut herself on the writing of the former windows. Some stones can be reused but there are some that must be cleaned before they can be used again. It is also necessary to clean the building sites.
I would say that it is quite clear where the whole thing is going.
The cleanup is going well and Darkeye forge work is also going well. There is still plenty of work to be done
To prepare the roof beams
Building the glass frame
Machining stones
It's a very sad sight indeed, and Ronin's shoulders drop as he realise what he's found. Swearing under his breath, he does his best to inspect the bodies to find out who they once were, before calling the attention of some Dragoons stationed nearby. Ordering them to help wrap and remove the bodies, he busies himself piling up the rest of the unusable stone ready to be taken to the Falling, where it will be disposed of.
"Alright, all the larger stones have been separated," he informs Darkeye once that's done. "I can help to make some roof beams now, if you like. It's something I have done before." And, if there are no objections, he moves to haul some of the lumber out to start making the frames.
Ronin calls some Dragoons to help move the bodies he's found. He also gathers the unusable stone to one side to be taken to the Falling. Once that's done, he offers to help make the roof beams.
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
It was likely best Lena didn’t have the same duty as Ronin and the others; she wouldn’t have been able to handle another iteration of corpse finding. Instead, her work was steady, certain, and light, granting a small smile and a nod towards the Huntsman, but otherwise keeping her head low, her determination clear, eyes never roaming over to where bodies were moved.
Thereafter, when she’d finished those particular rounds, she carefully and quietly adhered to assisting in cleaning the stones, ensuring they could be used and cycled through some other portion of work, running water over them, and buffing any their outer surface with cloths.
--
Lena cleans the stones!
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
Is unfortunately very heavy work on an emotional basis. But it is something that must be done. Not all bodies can be assigned names, unfortunately. Some are too deformed and it is a picture of horror for some people. People who are not used to such a sight could easily get sick to their stomachs.
Darkeye just puts his forge hammer aside and nods to Ronin. "Do that I think I can leave this to you. I'll get to work on the window frames that we just have to put in." He says and starts to work.
It is a thankless job but one that unfortunately has to be done. The stones are so dirty from the rain and snow that has been collected on them since the fall. There may also be some traces of blood on them, but with the water, they quickly disappear.
-----
The Dragoons help where they can and do as told. The roof beams are only a matter of time for someone with experience and the power of Ronin.
It takes a few hours until all this work is done. The helpers who are still doing the other work are also helping. The people of Strombreak see the progress and more and more people join in. Children start to decorate the stones that have been cleaned with their artwork. The city breathes a sigh of relief. There is still a burden to be felt. It will not be forgotten what happened here.
The memorial must be built
The first houses should be built.
With so many people, it is also important that breaks are taken and someone takes care of the well-being of the workers.
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
There was still much to be done – and while the Caretaker could be proud of their work, the heavy burden of turmoil could easily take it’s toll. Uncertain how the memorial should be built, or even where to begin with housing, she figured she could do what she committed to so often anyway – taking care of others.
The youth ensured others, especially the dragoons, Ronin, and Darkeye, were given subsequent breaks (perhaps in some cases, demanding they take some) and adequately granted water, refreshments, and nourishment. Going from each individual and rotating around, she eventually found herself back at the table, munching on some bread. Head tilting towards Darkeye, her inquiry rang through. “How can I help with the memorial, or houses?”
--
Lena ensures everyone takes a break and snags some refreshments and food.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
Having more than had his fill of death and destruction, even before finding the bodies, Ronin is unashamedly happy to delegate some of the work to the dragoons. Nodding to Darkeye, he gets to work on the roof beams with the help of a few carpenters who have been recruited in to help as well. He thinks it goes smoothly enough, the Huntsman ensuring there are no cracks or deformities in the wood and helping to measure and move the beams where needed.
This, of course, takes a lot of time, and when he finally emerges, it's with a drink of water in hand on one of his forced breaks (thanks, Lena). "We could make a miniature version of the Tower, for the memorial," he suggests. "And I could look at the archives in the Temple to make a plaque, with all the names of those who passed away. Those are all ideas for the future though, I suppose." None of this could be finished in one day, after all.
Finishing the roof beams, Ronin takes a break and offers his thoughts about the memorial.
Darkeye is glad for the break. He alone would have taken on too much work again. He prepares the frames. The most necessary was done. It was only a question of time how it would go on. The first stones were set and there are roof beams and windows. Putting these together was no longer really difficult. He was glad that he could leave the roof beams to Ronin.
"I think it's best if we do it this way, or chisel the names on the tower itself. I would need to know how many names to make it big enough. But I am here to give you a new perspective. Not to hold on to the old. I don't want you to forget. I will soon write my report on the attack, I have talked to almost everyone who was involved. I will give their side of the story and when appropriate my personal opinion," Darkeye says as he plans everything out."(I thought this was going to go on for several days, I didn't want to do it for one day.) I just kept jumping back and forth in time because I didn't know if you guys wanted to play this out).
---
The names must now be collected
The monument erected
The houses are built.
Ronin nods to Darkeye, though he isn't sure how much of a different such a report would make to the people of Stormbreak. And frankly, with how things currently were with the Ascended, he isn't interested in their point of view either. But back to the repair work. "I will get the names, then, and we can etch them into the monument. Lena, perhaps you could help Darkeye with a sketch of the Tower? From how it looked before? That way we can make sure it's true to what it once was."
So saying, the Huntsman departs for the makeshift infirmary in Judgement's Needle and also to the Temple to find the full list of names of those who are known to have departed. Once finished, he returns to the repair site with a roll of parchment that's a lot longer than he would have liked. "How does this look? I thought if you left some space... well, if we do find any more bodies that we can identify, we can add their names."
