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!
Usually, leaping through the Eye of Fire brings brave souls to the other side of the maze's central point, and nothing more.
Not so this time.
It's true that you do end up on the other side, but not exactly where you began. At your back, the obsidian bowl and its flickering fire still stands, innocuous and eternal. But before you sprawls a craggy platform, ending in a swift drop some 40ft out.
Below that, and all around?
Darkness. Fire. Intense heat. A distant roar of flames. Of... flames? No, it's coming from... beyond the drop.
Please post your characters arriving and taking their first action (if any), and in your summary list whatever non-items they are bringing with them (anything on your profile is automatically assumed to be with you). Items not listed cannot be used later.
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.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
"Oh, fuck," Tal hissed as he landed on the other side of the wavering fire and the heat hit him like a hammer blow. He was already wearing his goggles as he peered through the darkness and flames and realized he wasn't alone. Boreal snorted a distracted greeting to Lena as she also tried to pierce the flames with her gaze. The other woman was a stranger to him so Tal just gave Amanda a wary glance as he pulled his glaive free of his Bag.
"Lena, what's goin' on?" he called to the other woman over the roar of the approaching... fire?
Shit.
Swallowing hard, Tal set himself to defend as best he could against whatever was coming, motioning Boreal to stay behind him. Tal pulls his glaive out of his Bag and sets himself to defend himself and Boreal against whatever is coming.
He is currently using:
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Basic
See-Right Goggles: Reinforced goggles capable of seeing with perfect clarity regardless of conditions, up to 10ft. This includes magical darkness.
Tal has Boreal, a knife, and the contents of his Bag of Holding:
Bouquet of roses, long rope, glaive, half a dozen throwing axes, full-sized axe, first aid kit, canteen of water, leftover sandwich from lunch, and three changes of underwear.
Amanda caught herself by bracing her hands on the hard stony ground, then pushed to her feet, looking around. She blinked a few times at the strangers and asked, "Who the fuck are you?"
She stepped back in alarm as the man pulled out a rather large weapon. She threw her hands up defensively, then relaxed for just a moment when the man turned his weapon elsewhere, towards the chasm.
She tensed up again at the sound of roaring fire growing louder. She stepped back, staying far behind the stranger with the glaive, pulling out her own tiny belt knife. It was more tool than weapon, but it was all she had.
"You look like you're good at killing things," she said to the man with the glaive. "If something is there, you'll kill it, right?"
She raised her knife in one hand. With the other, she began channeling a steady flow of telekinetic force in front of her to deflect anything that might come her way.
---
Amanda moves a good ten feet behind Tal, so he is between her and whatever is approaching. She has her knife in hand and is channeling telekinesis to deflect any potential incoming objects or attacks.
Telekinesis: Can move small objects in a 5ft radius.
Type: Grey | Rank: Basic
She's carrying a belt knife and a backpack containing flint, a rope, some feathers, some fruit, and some horns, hooves, and fangs cut off dead animals.
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
That insatiable rush of curiosity stung her in the swirl of heat and fire – shifting to human form simply so she could communicate amongst the rest of them. Small mercies in that she knew Talyson, but the other woman was a complete stranger, and even the kindness of her voice was a strangled thing. “Lena, of Stormbreak.”
Turning briefly to the courier, she grimaced – no weapons, nothing in her hands, not even her habitual basket. “I’m going to shift and see if I can spot anything,” from above, hopefully, if something was…out there.
And so she did as she promised, plumage pink and vibrant instantly as she ascended higher and higher, attempting to catch a glimpse of impending doom, devastation, or simply, what they were about to be up against.
--
Lena shifts to her galah cockatoo form and flies up to see if she can catch a glimpse of anything headed their way.
She has everything listed on her profile.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
Oh, don't worry Lena. You won't have to try very hard to see what's over the edge of the crag - it's very visible, and very upset with you. It surges upwards with a sound like splintering rock, and with a roar that threatens to burst eardrums, you see it - enormous, wreathed in fire and with two curved horns jutting around its head, the Balrog creature is obviously primed for a fight.
It is so large that only its two gargantuan arms can brace against the craggy platform, leaving the rest of it obscured below in the smoky, fiery depths. With a maw of jagged, flinty teeth and an eye (only one) twinkling wickedly like a ruby, it raises one of those arms, and swats down. Hard.
Directly over Talyson, swooping past Lena, the blow of its mighty hand lands directly atop Amanda, and no amount of telekinetic defence can prevent it from crushing her beneath the weight of its fist. She is no more.
Welcome to the final relic KQ.
Your randomly assigned post order is:
Definitely Not A Balrog: 376/376
1. Talyson 100/100
2. Amanda 0/30 (Amanda may write a final death post).
3. Lena 80/80
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.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
He didn't even get to protest the stranger trying to hide behind him before she stopped being something he'd need to be concerned about ever again.
The nightmare beastie was way out of the courier's league and he knew it in that instant, but he'd been making friends and he wasn't too proud to ask for help.
Plus, the notBalrog monster had only one eye. Takng that out would make it easier to get away, if it couldn't see where they were at.
"Uh. Frey? Could really use a hand right now! Could y'knock that bastard's eye out for me? Please?"
Meanwhile he kept dodging as best he could. Boreal, being the brains of the operation, wasted no time in jumping back through the obsidian bowl and its wavering flame to go get help. Tal Channels Nature Frey and dodges.
Boreal retreats!
Type: Grey | Style: Defensive | Level: Basic
Rockhide Vest | An armoured vest flecked in black and white and lined with cool, fur-like material. This item blocks physical damage at Talyson's Basic level. Requires a 2 post cool-down between uses.
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
There was nothing to be done – the stranger gone within an instant.
She might’ve caught her breath, but the youth was too busy staring at their opponent. A rush of dread flickered and flew through her – for Lena was no warrior, no soldier, no fighter. Rudimentary training and fighting had been for defense, and certainly not against fire.
Remaining in the air seemed like the safest bet for now, so she hovered, and compelled, reaching out across attuned bonds, attempting to call some compatriots to help.
And hope they didn’t end up with the same result as the unfortunate woman.
--
Lena remains in her bird form, flying above, and attempts to compel some nearby animals to attack the Balrog (maybe a daemon friend? :D)
(Beastmaster) can compel any sentient animals not marked with a ☆ for assistance (6 large, 12 medium, 20 small)
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
10-12-2022, 02:05 PM (This post was last modified: 10-12-2022, 02:06 PM by Frey.)
Frey
"Well this would be a grand place for a sauna, don't you think?"
Frey's voice is all around the cavern as much as it's murmuring intimately against Talyson's ear, and even the not!Balrog grunts and glances up at the sound of a godly presence.
Which is probably not the best idea, because it means that the unseen force that thwacks against the back of its skull (kind of like someone smacking it across the head) throws it forward a bit, and with a POP! - except not really, have you seen a not!Balrog? - its glittering eye is knocked from the socket.
It goes bouncing across the platform with a strange, metallic sound.
"There you are, sugarplum," Frey sings, and with a cool wash of air, they are gone again.
Unfortunately for Lena, there's nothing really here to compel. Except the not!Balrog, and it has opinions about that, so you won't get very far I'm afraid.
Boreal successfully leaps back through the Eye of Fire and escaped unscathed.
And then here comes Frey.
With a grunt (roar?) of surprise and pain at having its eye forcefully removed from its skull, the not!Balrog is blinded, but real angry about it. It isn't an attack so much as a furious flail that it goes for Talyson.
Turns out that either it's very lucky or what actually happened Tal is very unlucky. By chance rather than intention, one of the not!Balrog's massive arms collides with the courier, swatting him across the rocky platform.
Welcome to the final relic KQ.
Your randomly assigned post order is:
Definitely Not A Balrog: 376/376
1. Talyson 67/100 2. Amanda 0/30
3. Lena 80/80
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.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
10-12-2022, 03:39 PM (This post was last modified: 10-12-2022, 03:40 PM by Talyson.)
A whisper in his ear: a voice like the midsummer tide and the first snowfall of Deepfrost, and Tal flashed a feral grin as the god's presence swept around and past him. "Thanks, Frey!" Tal called out, a feeling of relief washing through him as the eye came out and--
Clink.
Clink? Eyes didn't go 'cli--'
WHAM!
Fuck.
Ow...
Tal rolled like a ragdoll across the platform, silent only because the air had been knocked out of his very bruised ribs. When he came to a halt a second later he staggered to his feet and wheezed, looking around for where that eye had rolled. If he was going to run the hail away, it would be nice to have something to show for it.
He started to call up to Lena and stopped himself at the last moment, biting his lip against bringing the notBalrog's attention back to himself. Instead he tried to head for the last place he'd heard the metallic sound, dodging as he went.
Tal looks for the eye and heads towards it, dodging as he goes.
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
Lena grimaced – not at Frey, for that deity was beholden – but at the extenuating circumstances. Like missing eyes. And Talyson being knocked around.
And with nothing around for her to compel (the silence itself was eerie), there weren’t many options left. She couldn’t communicate in this form, and didn’t feel like she should leave it, given everything going on.
Perhaps she could snag at the eye? And then they could be on their way?
It seemed the courier had the same idea. Maybe one of them would be able to accomplish the goal.
So the pink bird flew down, trying to find it, reaching out with talons, intending to be swift and careful, and out of the creature’s reach, if possible.
--
Lena remains in her bird shift and tries to find the eye and grab it with her talons.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
It's one of those rounds. You know, the ones where everyone rolls very poorly and nothing happens.
Despite their best efforts, neither Lena nor Talyson will be successful at locating the not!Balrog's popped out eyeball, no matter how strange it might be that it clinks.
As for the not!Balrog itself, its strategic flailing makes no contact with either of the small, annoying mortals that have stumbled into its demesne. Shame.
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.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
Tal was, if nothing else, a stubborn fuck. He waved at Lena when he saw her also swooping around in search of the eye, hoping she'd figure out that he was encouraging her to continue searching. If it went clink maybe it was important... And if nothing else, it was proof to bring to the kind of people who could take care of a big nasty fire monster.
He continued to tiptoe around like a little mouse, adjusting his Goggles to help him peer through fire and smoke as he sought the prize - and hoped his luck at dodging the big beastie held.
Tal keeps looking for the eye!
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Basic
See-Right Goggles: Reinforced goggles capable of seeing with perfect clarity regardless of conditions, up to 10ft. This includes magical darkness.
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
Nothing, nothing, nothing.
The dread, consternation, and apprehension flooded through her form all over again. While they did well in avoiding being pummeled or assaulted, the fact remained that neither of them found the discernible clink. How much longer would it take? Would it cost another of them their lives – just like the stranger?
Swallowing down the trepidation, the Caretaker fed into her determination. They’d have to leave with something, other than scars and wounds and foreboding. The youth continued to strive and search, wings unfurled, gliding over, talons outstretched and yearning, while attempting to stay out of range of the creature.
--
Lena stays in her bird shift and tries to find the eye and grab it with her talons again.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
