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!
It was easiest to meet at the farthest of the Kuali Isles, where Ray could safely anchor her ship. True, the islet might shift in the time they'd be gone, but not far enough to escape their sight completely. It was better than leaving the boat unattended on the open ocean, at least.
The mermanta swam into the shallows, sunning himself beneath the chilly Longheat light as he waited for Torchline's apothecary to arrive. It should be an illuminating trip for them both, and with luck she would be willing to travel with him a little farther than the usual gathering trip.
He didn't have to wait long, however, before he saw a boat approaching from the east and Hadama gathered his magic and sent a welcoming spray of water up, like the one that had presaged their first meeting.
Ray arrived at the rendezvous point excited and nervous. The idea of diving beneath the waves was something she never thought she'd do until she gained an aquatic shift. But the opportunity to gather aquatic medicinal plants on her own terms was far too tempting to pass up. Hadama's company was an added bonus. The mer had a very soothing presence.
The herbalist had packed waterproof bags to store plants n and was wearing her full-body aquatic suit. As she arrived, she chuckled at teh spray of water. Hi, Hadama. How are you today? Thank you for agreeing to this. I'm so excited.
Hello Ray, the merman greeted through the bond, pleased to see the apothecary again, and impressed, too, with her punctuality. I am well. And yourself? The standard greeting, but he asked it with genuine curiosity and a quiet sincerity, waiting for her answer before he continued.
I hope we can help each other, he rumbled in return with a tilt of his head. We will be going deep, first. There are certain fish down in the dark that may be of use to you. And I must collect sand for Safrin there. He lifted himself a little ways out of the water and then sank down until he was submerged and looking up at Ray from below the surface. He extended a hand to her, beckoning her down with him.
I'm good! A little nervous but eager too. Ray listened as Hadama explained their agenda for the day, giving a nod when he finished. Of course! I'm happy to help, Sounds like we have a plan. The Attuned was more than willing to help the mer out. She'd be willing to do so even if Hadama wasn't helping her in return.
Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Ray reached out and too his hand, letting the mer guide her into the water. When she submerged and found herself able to breath, she let out a small laugh. This is such a weird sensation. Grinning she nodded towards the depths, Let's go!
bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones.
You've encountered the OG random event! This allows you to skip one levelling requirement with the character in this thread. (Unfortunately does not count for characters over level 10, how sad.)
The stoic merman's face didn't change, but a feeling of quiet bemusement warmed the Attuned bond at the landwalker's nervous excitement. It would be no different if he suddenly grew legs and asked her to show him the view from the top of Apopo, he knew, but it was still odd and a little endearing how humans treated his familiar, comfortable home.
Thank you. Her willingness to return the favor was welcome and appreciated and he closed his webbed fingers gently around hers until she relaxed and drew a breath - so to speak - of clean, cool seawater. Around them the waves sparkled with subtle constellations and drifting stars as the ring worked its magic.
I have been told that, he agreed, that flicker of amusement that hid behind his serene features again tickling the bond. Stay close. A warning perhaps unneeded; he was content to let her hold onto his hand for as long as she wished. But he also used his water magic to propel them swiftly in a dive away from the light and further into the depths far from the Isles, careful to keep her by his side at all times and well within the ring's power.
There is tuna, he pointed out to her as the light began to dim. And: swordfish, a little while later. The colors around them flattened into a wash of blue and grey as they moved deeper, and Hadama reached into a pouch attached to his harness, withdrawing a glass fishing float that was now filled with water that glowed from the tightly-packed plankton inside. He held it in front of them so they could see a little ways around them, though now the twilight had faded to true dark and the only light was a faint aura of grey far above them. Few things this deep are large enough to attack us, but be careful, he warned. The ones that were big enough were nothing to sneeze at.
And throughout all the descent his water magic, invisible in the ocean and the dark, formed a protective globe around them to resist the pressures of the dive.
A flicker of amusement passed through the bond at Hadama's comment. I'm not surprised. It was a brand-new experience and even though she was breathing just fine, the Attuned kept half expecting a lungful of water. As such, she kept her hand in Hadama's, both so as not to get lost but also for a source of small comfort.
Wow...Ray listened intently as the mer pointed out the creatures they passed by. They're all so beautiful. Each creature was a different shape and size, just like those on the surface. It was both mesmerizing and reassuring that life was life, not matter if it was on land or deep beneath the waves.
I will. How deep are we? The lack of sunlight from above and the changing creatures, their features growing more bizarre and otherworldly as they went.
10-20-2022, 01:41 AM (This post was last modified: 10-20-2022, 01:42 AM by Hadama.)
Since he did most of his swimming with his tail, Hadama had no need to let go of Ray's hand. It was a bit reassuring, as well, to have physical proof that she was close enough to be within the ring's influence, and between her own swimming and his water magic they were able to travel without it becoming a difficulty.
The mermanta was pleased with Ray's interest in his world. It was no less than his own curiosity towards the land creatures he saw from the canals - or ate, fried on a stick, from one of the market vendors - and he was happy to answer her questions and point out some of the more unusual denizens while the light lasted.
But as quickly as they descended, it didn't last long. The twilight waters lingered the longest, but when they reached the dark he slowed by necessity, peering with his shifted black manta eyes past the glow of their 'lantern.' Hmm. Perhaps... a thousand meters? We should be reaching the bottom soon... The Arclight went far deeper than that farther to the west, but although his manta shape could withstand the pressure this was as deep as he felt safe going.
And sure enough, a flat grey swathe rose up suddenly beneath them and Hadama twisted lithely in the water to bring them up short. At the edge of their light a long, spidery crab shifted away from their disturbance even as he ignored it and handed Ray the lantern so he could free a driftwood box from his satchel and scoop the sand into it. That crab may have some medicinal use, he mentioned conversationally. We can collect it next, if you would like?
Ray's eyes widened and she glanced at what appeared to be nearly endless sea above and around them. A thousand? Incredible. She watched as Hadama collected his sand before looking at the mentioned crab. The crab's coloration and shape was vastly different than any she'd seen on land before.
[sayYes please! Ray held the lantern as Hadama finished his collection. How do you suppose we catch it? The crab scuttled around the rocks at an impressive speed. And the mer was focused on keeping her from drowning, so the Attuned wasn't sure what the best strategy was.
I am not down this deep often, Hadama admitted in a sober rumble. The pressure was difficult to withstand, before. And even now that his magic allowed him to mitigate it, he still had to keep a portion of his attention and will firmly focused on protecting them from the damage the deep sea could do to them.
He collected his sand and tucked the box back into his satchel before turning to consider the rocks that the scuttling creature - its limbs easily as long as Ray's own, though far thinner - danced around.
Do you hunt? he asked her, almost meditative as he offered her his hand again and began to swim slowly towards the spider crab to keep it within their lantern's light.
Ray took the offered hand, keeping her eyes on the crab. I've only ever fished or hunted on land with traps and snares. I usually bring rations when I travel. Ambush or chase style hunts were unfamiliar to Ray. And the crab was massive. She had a feeling it's long legs might allow it to move at an impressive speed.
Do you think we could chase it into a corner and catch it there? Maybe against that rock formation that I think I see just up ahead. The lantern's light only just barely reached the base of what appeared to be an elevated part of the sea bottom.
Traps, Hadama was familiar with. They were as useful to mer as for humans, especially for catching crabs and lobsters without getting pinched. The spider crabs of the deep were a different breed, however, and they were too large for a traditional trap to work, even if it had been made of metal hard enough to withstand the pressure. No, they would need to tackle this prey the old-fashioned way, without the benefit of more civilized aids.
Yes, the merman agreed simply with Ray's plan, measuring the distance to the rocky dropoff - or upthrust, given their current location beneath it. You may need to hold on to my back. To stay close. For though he held her hand in one of his, the other had gone to free the long knife in its sheath at his hip.
Ray nodded, letting go of the mer's hand to gently grabbed hold of his back. This doesn't hurt you, does it? She wasn't sure how sensitive the backfins of a mer were, and the last thing she wanted was to hurt Hadama. Once she was secure, they were on the move.
The crab noticed them as they grew closer, their shadows created by the lantern, causing it to scuttle with alarm. But with some careful maneuvering, the two managed to steer its path towards the rocks up ahead. Soon enough, the crab was forced to stop, caught between the rocks and the hunters.
No, he assured her, touched by her concern. He was a sturdy creature, and it would take a great deal more than Ray's gentle grip to harm him. You may hold tighter, if you need to. Because he was going to be making some movements soon which were not as slow and measured as was his usual way.
Peaceful and thoughtful Hadama might be, but he was also a child of the ocean and he was as capable of efficient hunting as most of the sea's denizens. He herded the crab with deliberate use of light, shadow, and his own muscular bulk until it had nowhere left to go.
And then he darted forward with a powerful flex of his tail. As it tried to dodge the crab entered the 'bubble' of water that he used to push back against the pressure of the depths and the sudden disorientation made it freeze.
Which made it easy prey to the mermanta's knife. The blade splintered shell and slid into the creature's head between its eye stalks while he used his free hand to find off the wildly snapping claws. Almost as soon as he plunged the knife home he withdrew it and thrust himself - and Ray - back and out of range of the creature's death throes. Their meat helps the sick recover faster, he offered to Ray, a memory from his own family surfacing. My mother fed me giant crab when I had fevers as a child.
