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!
10-31-2022, 06:49 PM (This post was last modified: 11-01-2022, 10:41 PM by Serendipity.)
CRASH
The last time the earth quaked like this, Apopo was erupting.
And it isn't not happening this time - the volcano, for any looking up towards it, appears to be... shrinking? In reality it is sliding towards the ocean, hissing and cracking as part of the mountain slouches into the sea.
But it's not just Apopo that's breaking apart.
Fissures run deep through Torchline's streets; through the Ahi Coast, across Haulani, splitting landmarks and districts and forcing them apart. Water rushes in to fill the spaces, naturally, flooding and eroding the already battered earth.
Buildings topple and collapse. Homes, belongings, even the people themselves are being washed out to sea. And speaking of which, there are things in the water that washes through Torchline's cracks. Things with large, webbed paws, and sharp teeth.
Welcome to the Torchline PQ+. The region is breaking apart! Buildings are collapsing and being dragged out to sea, and there are ominous shapes in the water.
Please post your character arriving and anything they might have with them which isn't on their profile. And to ensure that nothing is missed, please include a summary of your actions at the bottom of your post, including the description of any magic/items/feats that are being utilized!
Be warned, this PQ+ will be dangerous and may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
Okay, so we all knew that war was coming, but no one ever said war was going to be this. War was supposed to be her father and Ronin and the other HeRoeS fighting somewhere very far away, while everyone else just...you know, waited to see how it all shook out.
So what in the ever-loving fucking Frey was this?
"UHM???" Flora yells, helpfully, as she leaps over a bit of Torchline that is actively shattering apart. There are people running around screaming and crying. Some are clutching their possessions (should she be running to get her things?), while others are actively looting. 'Okay, but like...' She begins to murmur to herself, before straightening.
'HEY. We have to DO something!'
Flora brings only the items on her profile. #prepared
The new King had moved swiftly, bearing Safrin's blessing back to his people and doing what organizing he could in the hours that they had left to prepare the Underwater City. Stashes of food and medical supplies had been hurriedly put together and placed so there would always be something nearby to help, and the guards had been set into a protective rotation around the City's perimeter along with a volunteer militia, quickly called up and issued weapons from the neglected Palace armory.
It wasn't enough, but it was all they had time for before the tremors struck, rattling the delicate spires and shattering windows and doors made of fragile glass and crystal.
But the epicenter and the worst of it had come not seaward, from the Maw, but rather from coast. Apopo... and the human town.
His friends and his allies were in danger, but more importantly now they were all in this together. Human, Mer, Fae... the world was coming apart and if they didn't help each other they would all fall separately. With the Underwater City as secure as he could make it he called for a small group of volunteers - all that could be spared - and swam for Haulani.
"Pull the humans out of the water," he ordered his guards as he broke the surface, long hair tightly braided back for battle. "Take them to the Isles. Don't fight the beasts; flee if they come near. Protect yourselves and keep the airbreathers from drowning."
A familiar voice broke through the chaos and Hadama dove and swam strongly to surface as near to Flora as the canals or cracks would allow, using his water magic to cushion him from the racing tide.
"The humans must evacuate to outside your city. I will hold off these creatures as long as I can." His voice was grim as he brought his trident forward, ready to defend his friend and her people.
Dama brings the items on his profile and some NPC merfolk who he orders to fish humans out of the water but not try to fight.
The ruins of the day I've painted with a scar And the more I straighten out, the less it wants to try
Where Flora is, Enzo is two steps behind. Lately, with war on the horizon, that has narrowed down from “two steps” to “3.47 centimeters”. So though he’s a bit disoriented from the whole Torchline-dividing shaking of the earth, it’s mere moments before he’s upright and at her side.
Flora is better at yelling, but Enzo isn’t too bad in a pinch. “Get nets in the water past the creatures, don’t let them pass in any further, let the merpeople get the ones swept out further!” Hadama’s commands and soldiers are greatly appreciated, but Enzo knows they can’t risk going further into the canals; if the ground splinters more, they’ll be trapped. Enzo nods to Hadama, grateful and hoping his plan would help slow the underwater monsters as he grabs Flora’s hand and pulls at her, racing back along the splintering canals and shoving anything he can find that is netlike and capable of being an inconvenience to the monsters into the water. “Everybody towards Miana Pool! Go go go!” He pauses to pull someone up from the water, sharp eyes always flitting back to Flora to keep her within sight and reach. The Fingers were too risky in terms of collapse, they’d need to get to solid ground elsewhere.
- - -
Enzo brings ~himself~
Enzo tells everyone around to throw anything netlike into the breaking canals further in to try and stop the monsters from getting in, and letting the merpeople save those being swept out to sea. He helps push stuff in and grab people out, and suggests/commands people move East/Northeast towards the Miana Pool for solid ground.
Ray hears Harper's call as she flies over head and scans the damage in her shangyang form. We will. I'm going to help the citizens evacuate first. Stay safe!
Seeing the mer go for people being swept away, the bird dives and begins to locate those in need of help. When she spots someone being carried away, Ray lets out a loud caw and circles the person, drawing attention over so that they can be helped. the sooner they can get everyone out of the water and to safety, the better. But this will likely continue until they find the source of the issue.
~
Ray arrives with everything on her profile. She's in her shangyang form looking for those being washed away and drawing attention to them so that the mer can find those who need to be rescued.
Through abject chaos, four individuals (and a handful of lovely NPCs, thank you very much) rush to create some kind of order. But Torchline will not be corralled so easily. Flora will soon learn that standing and yelling do not equate to much when it comes to evacuating an already panicking city, and a building somewhere near her shudders and collapses in a rush of clogging dust and debris.
She's lucky enough to get out of the way of it, at least - Hadama who has come to call up to her, though? Not so much. A hunk of rock falls right onto the mermanta, glancing along his right shoulder.
As for Ray and Enzo, gods but there's just so much happening. Whilst a few nets do plop into the rushing waters, they do little to stop the creatures in the depths from lurking closer (in some cases, they really don't have a choice either, what with the tide). And for this round at least, the people are just in too much of a hysteria to listen to orders.
It's a similar story for Hadama's merfolk, and many are forced to flee the shapes under the water before even being able to grab the ailing Torchers.
One such shape has taken a liking to Hadama, by the way, bumping past his fins in a hello.
Welcome to the Torchline PQ+. The region is breaking apart! Buildings are collapsing and being dragged out to sea, and there are ominous shapes in the water.
To ensure that nothing is missed, please include a summary of your actions at the bottom of your post, including the description of any magic/items/feats that are being utilized!
Be warned, this PQ+ will be dangerous and may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
The ruins of the day I've painted with a scar And the more I straighten out, the less it wants to try
Whatever is in the water is honestly only his problem to the extent of avoiding the hell out of them whenever he snatches at someone to pull them out. Nobody is listening, which is far from surprising honestly, but Enzo is already pulling at straws when it comes to being magically useful in this situation.
So, rinse and repeat it is.
"Everyone to Miana Pool! Get the fuck out of here!" he bellows, and turns to Flora. "Don't get in the water, I don't care who's in there - just pull from the banks." They can drown, and Enzo will not feel any guilt for that. Ludo will usher them onward peacefully - if the merman can't save them, he's not risking his sister, though he hopes she wouldn't feel the desire in the first place. Taking his own advice, he snags at another flailing Torcher, trying to haul them out of the ragged canal.
- - -
Enzo rinses and repeats, telling people to move to Miana and helping people out of the water inland.
Hadama and Enzo 's presence and words soothe Flora instantly, and though her heart is still hammering like a runaway train, at least she's stopped screaming. For the time being at least.
"You can get new stuff!" She screams to looters and frantic civilians alike. "At least be smart and loot things once the buildings have actually fallen. You know, before you DIE." That seemed as good an argument as any she could. 'Come on, this way." Waving her arms above her head, Flora would do her best to stay in as open an area as she could. Of course that meant edging nearer to the beach (and thus, the water and the things), but that was better than being crushed alive by a falling house.
Holding her feathers between her fingers and keeping an eye out for whatever might try and come her way, Flora tries to lead whatever gaggle of NPCs are smart enough to follow her away from the town and towards the miana pool.
Flora tries to move away from the buildings (so towards the beach) with her feathers ready to attack. She's trying to convince the Torchers to follow her to the miana pool for safety.
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Deadly Plumage | Three iridescent feathers capable of being used as projectiles. Razor sharp, they will recall themselves to the user's palm at will up to a range of 30ft.
Torchline: Torchline has taught you to survive her weather and her terrain. Once per PQ/PQ+/KQ/Drop, you can 'shrug off' half the damage from ONE non-lethal attack. (In order to use this ability, you must put a clear note in the bottom of your post immediately following the attack you want to 'shrug off').
Ray swoops down next to Enzo and shifts back as she calls upon her inner snake. "If there's an anaconda nearby, come help please! Constrict that sea panther so it can't move! Eat them if you want!" If they can stall the cat, they can buy the citizens further time to evacuate.
An anaconda might not be a match for a sea panther in the long run, but given that it's a kitten, she hopes it'll do the trick. That's assuming one of the large snakes actually feels like coming to help. Gods, she hopes one does. Every second they can buy, the better off they'll be.
~
Ray swoops down to return to her human form and help Enzo. She calls to any anacondas in the area (1 large) to come wrap around and constrict the sea panther to immobilize it.
Can call like-minded animals for assistance (1 large, 3 medium, 5 small, from the same animal family)
The mermanta grunted as he took a piece of masonry to the shoulder, but it was a small price compared to the injuries that others were taking as the city collapsed around them.
There was little he could do to help the land dwellers, but perhaps-
An idea that was given no time to mature as something nudged him from beneath the water and he got a good look at what had come to play.
"Sea panthers," he called in rumbled warning to Ray and Enzo, glad to see that Flora was already leading more people away. "Ludo's heralds." But also dangerous predators in their own rights.
Calmly - because panic would help no one - the mermanta raised his trident and pointed it towards the saline feline. If it tried to attack anyone (including him) he would use it to dissuade the beast.
Hadama readies an action to use a blast from his trident at the panther if it tries to attack anyone (including himself).
Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Startide Trident | A trident formed from coral and starlight. Can be used below or above the water. Shoots a blast of arclight water that's infused with starlight up to 10ft.
More buildings crumble and fall - but this time, at least, none of the intrepid crew are damaged by any debris. As for Flora and Enzo, their efforts go a little better this time around, though it seems more by luck than design. The message of Miana Pool and don't die seems to have filtered through, at least, and they are beginning to herd in that general direction.
The merfolk, too, are having a bit more luck in guiding those in the water to safer shores.
Unfortunately for Ray, the island coasts are pretty close to the jungles where one might find an anaconda, but there's no way in heck that one has stuck around when its world began literally breaking to pieces, and especially not out here near the ocean. Sorry!
As for Hadama, that's where the real action is. Because of course the Sea Kitten is going to do a little more than play, and it snaps out with its whiskered jaws in the water, fastening around the mermanta's fin in a bite. Luckily (???) for him, it means he's in a perfect position to direct an attack at it with his trident. With a bubbling mewl, it swims back again.
But you've got its attention now.
Welcome to the Torchline PQ+. The region is breaking apart! Buildings are collapsing and being dragged out to sea, and there are ominous shapes in the water.
To ensure that nothing is missed, please include a summary of your actions at the bottom of your post, including the description of any magic/items/feats that are being utilized!
Sea Panth- er... Kitten: 211/232
Your randomly chosen post order is:
1. Enzo 44/44
2. Flora 92/92
3. Ray 100/100
4. Hadama 83/120
Be warned, this PQ+ will be dangerous and may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
The ruins of the day I've painted with a scar And the more I straighten out, the less it wants to try
"Fuck!" he blurts as a bird swoops down towards him and suddenly becomes not only a woman, but councilwoman Ray within a blink. But the people are slowly moving in a more cohesive fashion, so yay? Progress? Snagging at Ray's elbow he juts a chin at the people. "They know and follow you way more than us, help us tell them!" While he and Flora are definitely known, don't insult him, Ray is a leader of this land and will hopefully get people moving more efficiently.
Seeing Hadama, Enzo falters, debating. Then he squeezes his sister's hand and runs for the merman. Trying to get within five feet without going into the water by standing at the precipice of the canal. "Hadama, over here! If you can get it closer I can use my magic on it." And he tries then and there, hoping the kitten is within reach in the water so he can use his life drain on it.
- - -
Enzo tells Ray to tell the people to move as they'll recognize her more as a councilwoman than him and Flora. Then he runs to Hadama, getting as close as he can on land and tries to use his Life Drain if the sea panther kitten is in reach.
Life Drain : Can negatively influence the life force of a living thing within 5ft
Type: Dark | Rank: Basic
Suddenly Ray is there, or well, not suddenly, but she'd been a bird before, so, you know. It seemed sudden. "Help me get these people to safety!" Flora calls out, as if her flapping hands didn't make it clear what she was trying to do.
Still doing her best to stay far away from buildings and things that might collapse by edging closer to the sands, it's only in virtue of a quick glance over her shoulder that she sees the Sea Panther take a chunk out of Hadama. More worryingly though is the sight of her twin rushing towards it.
Clapping her hands together, Flora closes her eyes. "Frey, there's a big old pussy here that could really use your attention!" She prays, not knowing if she was meant to provide an offering or anything else, but hoping that the literal world-ending description around her might buy her a bit of understanding.
Flora continues to lead people on the beach away from the buildings. She channels FREY to attend to the sea panther.
Accepted Channeling: Allows an Accepted to channel a deity/demigod/lesser spirit during a time of crisis (1x a season)
Type: Light | Rank: Upgraded
Ray nods, "On it." The Attuned takes a deep breath and addresses the people of Torchline in the way they know best. "Alright you fucking Torchers! Get your assess moving to the Miana Pool! There's a safehouse there! Grab anyone who needs help and get the fuck out of here!" Perhaps not the most eloquent speech but now wasn't the time. And she doubts most of Torchline's citizens want a flowery and motivating speech on a good day.
As she barks out the order, Ray races over to Hadama. The mer is in serious trouble and she just hopes she can get there in time to heal him.
~
Ray orders the citizens to go to the safehouse at Miana Pool. She's running towards Hadama in the hopes that she can heal him next round.
