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!
Halo knew how to endure, defend, and rise above monumental circumstances. They’d been doing so for countless decades – and would continue once the rest of them had perished. But they also had their moments of foolishness, when the fires were stoked and kept, when the chores for the day had been completed, when the world felt more relaxed, calm, and tranquil.
The Sword had taken to his duties with earlier precision, well before the sun had risen, patrolling with the rest of the soldiers and guards, ensuring instruction had taken place, sending out letters and conducting various meetings; all with an ensuing pace of other notions forthcoming, something of a juvenile nature comprised into his small smile.
So by the afternoon, he’d found a clear place amidst along the edges of the Citadel, and began preparations. Earthen and water incantations conformed to his control with no protest; rising mounds beginning to form from the ground, snow bounding, clinging together, until the assemblages resembled miniature hills and knolls. Or, as his intentions became clearer and clearer – small fortifications. Some were conjured behind one another, while others circled along perimeters and boundaries, a welcome alteration of war games.
When he was content the earth stilled – his head tilting vaguely, before nodding, and turning to the nearest citizens (who’d stopped to watch – contemplating what he was up to now) to pass along objectives and purposes: a communal snowball fight.
Eventually, the notions spilled towards other portions of the Citadel, and the stirring of eager and ready participants began to hum – people taking their places, readying their armaments.
--
This is a mini event to cover the SE req of completing a snowball fight! Have your character come on in and start lobbing. Snow forts are readily available, but feel free to strengthen/weaken/team up, etc.!
Sah had been pulling Pad out of another tree when an excited child running by alerted him to the upcoming event. Sharing a glance with Lilly who was down below, the Abandoned quickly made his way down the tree, half dragging a disgruntled wolf. He sent a quick messenger to Ilma for her to alert the twins of the fun, and then made his way over.
Coming to the battleground, Sah grinned at Deimos, "I'm going to enjoy this. Thank you." With that, he quickly found a prime snow fort in clear view of the others but protected by the shade of a building. Using his telekinesis, air, and water, Sah raised the walls of his fort, thickening them for strength. As he did, the two wolves eagerly dug into the snow to increase the size of their fort's floor, as well as to kick the snowball-suitable snow into easy reach.
Once ready, Sah started making his snowballs and settled into wait for his first victim.
~
Sah, Pad, and Lilly have claimed a fort! Using air, telekinesis, and water, Sah has
strengthened and raised the walls of his fort against incoming attacks. He's got snowballs and he's ready to go.
Evie had not been privy to this particular plan today, but the news reaches her rather swiftly. She’d only been parted from Deimos for a scant hour or so given they did most of their administrative duties together, so she can only laugh and shake her head fondly as the eager courier runs off to presumably join the snowball fight before Evie can even rise from where she is kneeling in the greenhouse.
Still soil-clad and smiling, Evie approaches the battlefield with a keen eye, mirthful blues squinting at Deimos in the other side of the pitch as her nose wrinkles in habitual accords with her grin. Picking a fort close to Sah she begins to use her magic to build it stronger from the inside, shamelessly using earth and stone instead of snow and ice. “Team up?” she calls to the Hunter, mischief dancing in her eyes as she prepares her snowballs, content to begin slowly.
- - -
Evie picks a fort near Sah, and strengthens it from the inside (trying to conceal it) with soil and stone. She proposes an alliance with Sah, and begins to form snowballs.
reckless at heart but never unkind in a perfect world we could've been fine
The excitement seemed to escalate – an initial start as the rest of Halo quickly understood what was afoot. He arched a brow as Sah went careening by, offering a slight nod and a “You are welcome,” before the hunter was gone, tending to his chosen barracks.
Evie’s appearance, and sudden betrayal, should’ve been known from the start, but he gave a mocking snort as she wandered closer towards Sah. And though he couldn’t hear the discussion, he could certainly suspect.
Two could play at that game.
Giving a pretense of this treacherous divulgence with a loud snort, the Sword marched over to a rise of snow to contort and fragment into a proper fortification. Granting it a larger, wider expanse, to hide his towering, monolithic frame, and add proper defenses, he cloaked and garbed it in ice, with essential barbs of barricades poking out from the sides, ducking down long enough behind it to start forming snowballs of varying sizes.
--
Deimos takes this sudden and inevitable betrayal and fortifies his own and begins making snowballs.
As deep frost set in and the world prepared for slumber, Halo seemed to be a thriving, bustling beacon of society. People were coming and going in the market and the greenhouse, stocking up and trading and making sure that not only they, but the people around them, had what they needed for the season.
Noah was one of those people, but after his trip to the market, he was on his way to find one of his comrades that might join him for a hunt. He found them all together — at least most of them — and a smile quickly broke across his features. Noah trotted into the game without hesitating, skidding behind a shelter that would hopefully shield him from all snow-enemies.
As quickly as he could he made a stockpile of snow balls, then slowly peaked around his shelter for what might be his first target.
—
Noah joins and finds a shelter, then makes snow balls!
Sah grinned at Evie, "Gladly." He paused in his snowball production to command the ice and snow around them to bend to his whims. A secondary barrier rose up to surround their two forts, creating a double wall of defense. It was mostly an effort from his telekinesis and air, but the magestone around his neck warmed to incorporate his novice water magic.
Once the main structure was formed, he returned to creating snowballs, "What's our strategy? Take them out one at a time or each focus on a different victim?" Yes, victim. Target was far too gentle of a word for the ferocity that was a snowball fight in Halo.
~
Sah agrees to Evie's alliance! He adds a secondary wall with magic, that protects both their forts and then continues to make snowballs.
Whether there were alliances, singular strategies, or nothing but a range of impulsive decisions, they all seemed to be at a standstill - even as Noah joined. A residual stalemate, perhaps, while they mulled and contemplated, strived to ensure their fortress would topple another’s.
But the Sword had already grown restless, mischievous, and juvenile – and while on the battlefield he’d be much more of a tactician, today it was simply settling into amusements. As he ensured his fortifications were steady, stalwart, and rectified enough for the time being, he assembled several more snowballs.
Then he launched and lifted them in a swift, quick manner, intending to ignite a barrage upon Sah and Evie’s bastion – testing out the parameters.
--
Deimos continues to add onto his snow fort and launches five snowballs towards Sah and Evie’s fort.
In Noah's eyes, it was every man, woman, and child for themselves. Thus, when his comrades -- enemies -- took to readying their defenses and then attacking each other, Noah took his chance. He popped up from behind his small snow fortress like a meerkat and lobbed a few snowballs towards Deimos before ducking back down.
He gathered his next armful of snowballs and popped up again, once more launching them towards the Sword. He knew that this assault surely meant he would be taken aim on next. He prepared the magic within his breast and ducked back behind his shelter again, a smile carved deeply across his face.
01-25-2023, 03:22 PM (This post was last modified: 01-25-2023, 03:23 PM by Sah.)
Sah
Sah laughed as the fight began, eyes widening as Deimos took aim. The younger Abandoned attempted to act fast enough to deflect the Sword's barrage but wasn't quick enough. Th snowballs pelted against his and Evie's fort with hardly any trouble. Some even left dents in the wall with the force of their collision.
Glancing at one of the larger dents, Sah shook his head incredulously before letting out another laugh. "Hey!" Using his magic to make a quick repair of the worst of the damage, he then focused on offense. Furthe calling his magic he created his own, smaller, barrage of snowballs and sent them at Deimos' fort.
For the first time outside of conflict, Sah wished he had access to the Attuned bond. Because although he could see the smiles on the faces of his family, he wished he could feel their joy and share his own.
The Sword’s provocations were returned in equal measure, and he could only laugh as the barrage from Noah and Sah alike countered and flickered, angling at the top of his fort. Some portions fell apart, so he took some time, the low rumble of his chuckle following all the while, to repair the minarets and spires, the bastions and bulwarks. Under his ranged tutelage and enchantments, they rose once more, restrengthening the fortifications.
Barely peeking over the top from his furtive crouch, he surveyed the possibilities. Mischief and strategy went hand in hand, and while he lobbed more snowballs Noah’s way, he also unfurled Mastered Earth, sending it towards the frozen terrain beneath Sah and Evie’s manifestations, hoping to shake and rattle it to pieces.
Noah couldn’t help but laugh as the snowball fight went on. The efforts of his friends for keeping his spirits lifted in the time where he was more easily distracted by worry was not lost on him. The thuds of several snowballs rapidly smashing into his shelter only made his laughter more raucous.
Gathering a few snowballs in the crook of his arm, Noah held them against his chest and called upon the magic within him. Disappearing from behind his fort, in the blink of an eye Noah appeared behind Deimos and started launching his snowballs at the Sword. If he landed only one against the man’s dark cloak, he would count it as a success.
When he was finished with his snowballs, his magic not ready to use again, he knew there was only one response. He laughed loudly and leaned forward. His laughter turned to a ripping, cackling roar as his body covered in white fur and grew and grew and grew.
Sah stumbled before regaining his balance as Deimos' magic shook the fort. Thinking fast, he channeled his telekinesis to try and hold the structure together. It was challenging, forcing cracks in the wall to seal just as they were formed, and holding blocks of ice to stop them from tumbling to the shaking earth.
But it was for nought. The Sword's magic outpaced the Wild Thunder's and all, but the front of the fort crashed to the ground. With only a single wall blocking him now, Sah grabbed a snowball and threw it at Deimos using his air magic to keep it on track. Despite the devastating blow to his fort, the Abandoned had a wide grin on his face as he watched Noah shift forms.
"Noah! Let's team up!" Sah called, hoping to create an alliance to take down their Warden.
What has Evie been doing this whole time? Good question. No further questions.
As Noah and Sah perhaps team up, Evie keeps her back to the fort that Deimos is assaulting, hiding her giggles in her furred collar even as she builds up more rock and earth from below to line the inside. It's definitely not fair, but a stronger fort is a stronger fort, and until the snow and ice is knocked off the outside to show her treachery, Evie intends to utilize it.
Collecting her snowballs, Evie sends a quake out under Deimos' feet - he can negate it easily enough with his own magic, but only after feeling it initially, so she lunges to her own feet and turns to pelt the snowballs down at him in a swift array, hoping to buy Sah and Noah some time.
reckless at heart but never unkind in a perfect world we could've been fine
Late to the party but never the fun, Hotaru stands on the outskirts of the destruction with an amused expression and hands tucked into her pockets. It's mostly an assault from Deimos against the others, which is to be expected given the man's power and experience. Now the question arises however: should she join her fellows in taking him down, or curry favor with the side she anticipates will win?
Blood is thicker than water and yadda yadda, so Hotaru bends down to collect an errant snowball that had half-collapsed nearby, and calmly restructures it. Then aims squarely for Sah as he calls out to Noah, who is shifting into his larger, furry form. Smiling serenely as she maneuvers sideways towards Deimos, the Valkyrie calls out through their bond. You don't seem to need the reinforcements, but care for a hand anyway? Keeping an eye on Noah to determine what he's up to, the Valkyrie uses her air magic to whip up the snow around the trio banded together across the pitch, hoping to obscure their vision with the loose flurries.
angels would damn themselves for me
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
