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!
If Frey wanted Flora to hide during a game of hide and seek and not be found, well...the girl knew exactly how to do that.
Having spread the word through Torchline that she was arranging a casual afternoon of games, drinks and snacks, she expected quite a good turnout. Hosting it near the ocean and the subsequent canals meant that the merfolk could join in, and the promise of snacks and drinks would hopefully coax out those who weren't super keen on playing. If all else failed, she wasn't above corralling a few NPCs the locals into playing; it was amazing how easy it was to get people to do something for you if you smiled at them and refused to take no for an answer.
Standing on the beach beneath a big colourful flag, Flora waited for the participants to show up so she could get complete her quest get this game going!
No posting order! Have your character show up! The 'seeker' will be randomly chosen!
We need love, But all we want is danger We team up, Then switch sides like a record changer
Hadama was always interested in sampling new dryland foods, but when he had heard who was hosting the day of games? Well, even if she hadn't been Remi's daughter Flora was still counted as a friend and he was glad of the excuse to visit. War preparations had been taking a great deal of time and emotional energy lately and the chance to relax and have a little fun was exactly what the healer ordered.
He swam into the shallows in his broad-winged manta form and shifted so that his top half was out of the water and he curled to 'sit' on his tail. A small school of fish made of water 'swam' up out of the sea around him and flew to circle around Flora before returning to the mermanta's side and disappearing back into the ocean he had crafted them from with his magic.
"Flora," he greeted warmly though his expression remained serenely stoic. "You are looking well. What will we play first?"
Hadama arrives!
Lisbeth walked along the beach, her face stuffed in her notebook. She'd spent quite some time on her scouting mission to Torchline, tracking the coming and going of ships to gather information for the war effort. Even if Torchline were to be an ally in the war, the number of smugglers and pirates operating in the area made Torchline a potential threat. It would be all too easy for enemy ships to sneak into the poorly guarded port, using the same underhanded channels that smugglers frequently used.
She was so preoccupied with reviewing the report she would file that she didn't notice anyone around until she was smacked in the face by a flying...fish? She staggered back for a moment, looking around in bewilderment. When she saw the merman, and the pretty woman with the flag, she was instantly confused.
"Sorry," she said, her pale skin turning slightly pink. "I didn't mean to interrupt...
see what you find there with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair
Paige wasn't exactly looking for people to spend time with. The Attuned hadn't felt up to much socializing, but it was Flora. Flora who was too pretty and too bubbly and smiled in a way that made her stomach flip flop in an unfamiliar way. A girl who was meant to be one of her best friends until she up and grew into this unworldly vixen that left Paige feeling shaky and almost sick. Not that she knew why.
The girl approaches the small group that's gathered, offering a slight smile towards Hadama that only grows at the sight of Flora standing effortlessly against the waving flag, beautiful and tan as always. "Hey, Flora.." Paige murmurs, raising her hand in a slightly nervous wave as her feet seem to gain a mind of their own, fumbling in the sand as she barely manages to catch herself.
Rising from the sea like some warm and welcome submarine is a Tumsea. With a smattering of starfish on its shell and a coating of seaweed, the creature looks as if it is trying to reflect the starlit heavens. Slow and kind, the creature glances your way, and though it is difficult to ascribe a smile to a creature such as this, indeed it seems to be smiling at you before descending down back into the waves.
You’ve encountered a Tumsea. This counts as a rare creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements. You may not kill your rare creature without admin permission.
Tumseas (rare/mythical): Smaller cousins of the Tulmhainar, Tumseas are like moving ecosystems all unto themselves. With shells of brilliant blues and earth browns, these turtle-like creatures can grow to nearly 4ft in diameter and can hold their breath for decades at a time. Bringing vibrancy and health to all the underwater trails they follow, Tumseas are thought to be good omens and are often followed by schools of fish encantados
Oh, would you look at that. One of those...big turtle things. Flora probably should have been more intrigued by it, but given that she'd grown up in the Greatwood were a Tulmhainar resided, seeing this small cousin was a bit...lacklustre. Especially when she had plans for how this afternoon was going to go.
So, turning away from the grandiose turtle towards those gathered, Flora claps her hands together to draw their attention. "Heya!" She calls brightly to Paige and Hadama, pleased beyond measure to see them both. Offering a wave to Lisbeth, Flora offered the other woman a confident grin. "Not interrupting at all, want to play? We're going to have a rousing game of hide and seek! And I've got a really cool prize at the end for the winner!"
That said, they needed a seeker. Counting off using a sing-song rhyme, eventually Flora's finger landed on Hadama. "Okay! You're it! You count to 100 and we'll hide. And remember—" Turning to Paige, Lisbeth, and the handful of NPCs we're assuming are here, Flora adds. "—you have to be near a canal or the ocean. Basically somewhere that Hadama can find you from. Ready? Go!"
Hadama is our seeker! Go and hide somewhere near a body of water so Dama can find you!
We need love, But all we want is danger We team up, Then switch sides like a record changer
Lisbeth blinked in confusion, looking around at the other people gathered there. She hadn't come to the beach to play games...
But before she knew what was happening, there was a majestic beast rising from the ocean. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the mystical creature. She'd heard stories of them, of course, but had never seen one up close.
When it started sinking beneath the waves, she hurried towards it, reaching out a hand. "Wait!" She didn't want the creature to disappear so quickly. Acting without thinking, she dove into the water and swam up beside the creature, hoping to savor the experience for a few moments longer...
He nodded solemnly to the human child who appeared and the young woman who came by a moment later. Neither were familiar to him, so he offered a quiet: "I am Hadama," in introduction.
The number of tumseas that he'd seen in the past year was both inspiring and reassuring. It spoke of a healthy ocean and waters filled with life, even with the War approaching. Hadama watched the beautiful creature as it sported through the waves, but Flora's voice drew his attention back to the humans and their diversions.
He listened to her idea and nodded slowly in understanding of the game. "I know it," he agreed, accepting the role of seeker with his usual calm serenity. Closing his eyes, he began a slow, steady count. "One hundred... ninety-nine... ninety-eight... ninety-seven..."
Hadama begins counting!
Wanting to say more and finding herself at a loss of words as Flora stood before her, seeming as beautiful as ever and maybe three times as peppy as usual, but before she can even shake herself out of her stupor there is a Tumsea off the shore. She blinks, lips parting in awe, "Holy shit.." Paige breathes and then her brows furrow as the strange girl runs towards the water. Seems like a dumb place to hide when a mer is doing the searching.
Taking off towards the market along the canals, Paige shifts into her weasel form, scurrying between feet and on top of create before she dives into a basket as her hiding place of choice.
Paige hides in a basket in her weasel form!
Love you to the moon and to Saturn Passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long
My, my Hadama, you certainly have your work cut out for you!
Whether or not Lisbeth will stay out of sight is unclear at this point. On the one hand, the arrival of the Tumsea has lots of eyes and pointed fingers directed at the creature which might give the soldier's position away. On the other hand, she isn't the only one to have swum in its direction which provides human camouflage of a sort.
As for Paige? Weasels aren't uncommon in Torchline, and honestly, the shriek of EWWWWW! might have been for any reason, and not because an adorable attuned has just hidden away in a market-side basket.
As for Flora? My, my, she's...absolutely no where to be found. And I do mean that, but more on that later.
We need love, But all we want is danger We team up, Then switch sides like a record changer
"Three... two... one." The countdown finished and the merman raised his head, looking slowly around to be certain that everyone had made good on their head start. When he saw no one in his immediate vicinity he widened his search, looking further out across the canals and nearby streets.
As it turned out, hide and seek was made significantly harder when he wasn't familiar with two thirds of the hiders. There had been a human girl-child and a human woman of soldier-ish dress, and there had been Flora.
The child would be the hardest to find; there were too many who could fit her description (and her had no idea that she could turn into a weasel), while Flora would be the easiest for him to recognize.
But the stranger who walked like a soldier would stand out the most in a crowd of Torchers, he decided, and so Hadama began to look in earnest for Lisbeth first, scanning sea and land for the unusually petite woman (and her now-waterlogged notebook).
Hadama's eyes scan through the crowd. Perhaps drawn by the presence of someone else who doesn't necessarily belong, the Tumsea begins to swim slowly towards the mermanta, revealing Lisbeth's position. The large creature presses its nose towards the king's palm, sighing softly, before turning about to return from whence it came.
How nice.
Now, there's Paige and Flora to find...
The screams that might have revealed where Paige was inside of her basket have subsided somewhat. So Hadama, any clever tricks up those sleeves when it comes to finding weasels?
"I see you," the mermanta called solemnly to the soldierly woman who had hidden in the water. His attention for her was brief, however, drawn instead to the very welcome visitor that made its way towards him on unhurried fins. "Thank you," he murmured softly to the gentle Tumsea, inclining his head deeply in appreciation for the greeting.
Paige and Flora gained a few more minutes while Hadama watched the Tumsea and its vibrant entourage swim away, but eventually he returned to the game.
The problem now was threefold.
First: he had no idea that Paige was an Attuned who could shift.
Second: weasels were entirely unfamiliar to him.
Third: he wasn't wearing sleeves.
Green eyes were seeking a smallish, dark-haired human child, but no one said he couldn't ask for a little help around the way...
"Excuse me," he rumbled politely to a woman sitting near the canal and weaving baskets. "Did you see a child come past here a few minutes ago? Brown hair and blue eyes? Perhaps ten or eleven?"
The woman looks up from her weaving. At first she thinks nothing much of the mer before her, before she realizes just who he is, and promptly gulps. Dropping her basket to clutch at her skirts in an awkward seated curtsey, she shakes her head. "Ain't seen nothing like that, no sir. Err, king. Err...uhm.." Not knowing the proper greeting for the leader of the merfolk, she merely flushes as sweat beads off her brow onto her skirts.
Meanwhile, neither Paige nor Flora would be found by the mer for one simple reason: both had gone home.
Paige had been called by the brothel girls to sweep up, and Flora had gone home. That was the easiest way not to be found, right? Later, Hadama would receive a note by way of starfish-messenger, a note written in glittery script. You're the best sport! Thanks for taking the time out of your day, your highness. Aka, congrats! <3 Flora
