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!
tried to wash you down with something strong But the taste of blood remains
The mothman hits the glass like a battering ram, spreading cracks that are illuminated by the moonlight, visible to Riya's eyes that translate to Anju through their bond. On its heels comes the command banana-phoned through from Koa, but this time Anju is the one to disobey willfully.
Assuming the telescope-room is already low-lit given telescope rulesthat Brit didn't have to Google she instead draws her bow, facing down the mothman from the inside, aware that her barrier is weakening by the second. Hoping it will be enough, she lets one fire-fueled arrow fly, hoping to shatter the glass and either pierce the moth on the other side, or bring the glass down - and remove the surface reflecting the firelight and the moon, leaving only the telescope's glass.
Regardless of whether she succeeds, she commands Riya to swoop along the outer edge of the glass (further from the mothman) to shoot gouts of flame across it to further weaken it and simultaneously make it sooty and prone to less reflection. Perhaps if she can get her sister inside, they can do the same with the telescope without having to sacrifice it or the building. But Anju will be staying inside - the Captain will go down with the ship this time if go down it must. She'll make fucking sure of it.
- - -
Riya shows Anju the breaking observatory glass, and Anju fires at it with her bow in the hopes of shattering it, hoping the removal of the glass will mean less reflection of light.
Riya flies along the outer edge to hit the glass with fire to either destroy it faster or cover it in sooty scorch marks.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Scorch Recurve | A bow infused with volcanic ash. A rich, dark colour, it is always warm to the touch. Any arrow drawn with the bow will ignite on release.
Cold, empty mattresses and falling stars My, how they start to look the same
There isn't time for Sohalia to descend, chat, ascend, and attack; the Heart is able only to re-shift and begin to fly back into the sky after her giving her message to Edmund.
While companions can't really communicate complex things to one another, Pip's message to Riya ends up not mattering in the long run. Given how far chakram's can be thrown (did I have to google this? Yes I did), Koa is able to throw his weapon up and at the moth. It isn't the best throw of his life, but the creature is big; the chakram sings through it with a snarl of electricity before returning back toward the soldier.
Edmund 's blast of fire doesn't quite reach the moth given its height, however as Anju 's bow and Riya's fire weaken and then shatter the glass, the Mothman abruptly pauses as the reflective surface it had been so keenly hovering above is suddenly gone.
Turning rather stupidly, it locked onto the ancient's fire and descended swiftly downward, showering scales as it went. Sohalia and Anju are safe from this blast, but below Koa and Edmund are not. Koa is able to roll out of the way of the falling scales, but by the smallest margin (despite that regional luck), Edmund is not.
Everyone wants to see heaven But no one wants to say goodbye
The observatory glass shattered, and all hell broke loose.
Since Soh was not able to attack last turn due to Rayo's inexperience with KQs, she soared high overhead and watched in horror as the moth descended towards Edmund and Koa. There was nothing she could do as she watched Edmund take a direct hit from the moth, but she breathed a sigh of relief as Koa dodged out of the way. Still, terror reigned alongside a sudden, fierce protectiveness - not just of Koa, but of her region. This was her home, these people were hers to protect. How dare something fly in and try to take that away from her?
She needed to ground the moth somehow, to minimize the danger of its falling scales. Suddenly, it came to her: the wings. She needed to shred the wings.
With her target in her sights, she sent her intentions through the bond to Tarak, who joined her in her assault. Soh dove silently, her eyes fixed on one of the moth's wings. Tarak took the other, and together they tried to rake talons across wings. For good measure, Tarak added a gust of fire to the mix. If it worked how Soh hoped, she would shred through some of the thinner parts of the wings and make it harder for the moth to fly; if not, perhaps she could at least injure it.
------
Soh attacks one of the moth's wings with her snowy owl shift, while Tarak attacks the other with claws and fire breath.
Everyone wants to see heaven But no one wants to die
So tired trying to see from behind the red in my eyes No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
Well, that was one way to do it.
Koa flinches as the observatory glass shatters, grateful for the chakram's ability to return, unbidden, to his hand. For better or worse his plan seems to be working: bereft of the observatory's shiny glow, the moth seems wholly fixated on the fire. Fire he wishes Edmund had thought to light further away from them. Through the merit of thorough training Koa's able to dodge and roll away from the rain of silver scales, though not without shooting a glare toward the Ancient, briefly wondering if this isn't an attempt to get him killed, thus styming the investigation he's conducting into Edmund's other murders, hmmmmm?
But there isn't time for all of that. Taking cover behind anything he possibly can, Koa shouts silently down the bond for Pip to clear out, while aloud his voice is directed at Anju. "We could use backup!" he calls up to his Captain, hoping that she will again understand his intent. They've had great teamwork so far, been on the same page, and in this... well, it just makes sense.
Having only seen one person channel before, the Dragoon opts to adhere to Flora's School of Summoning (though perhaps slightly more refined). "Ronin!" he calls to the air, the night, the thrum of magic that permeates the world and hopefully stretches out to wherever the poor Supernova now sleeps. "The Dragoons call for aid, Commander of the Storm!"
Or maybe he's just yelling into the darkness like a madman. At least he looks cool doing it. That's what matters most, right?
Koa sends Pip to run for cover, and tires to cover himself. He will combine his channeling with Anju's to attempt to summon Ronin
Koa
No other version of me I would rather be tonight And, Lord, she found me just in time
If Edmund could hear Koa's unrealistic expectations of how someone with his magic level could wield fire, he'd be offended. The glare sent his way has hurt flashing across his face. The young Ancient is risking his life to help. Why would Koa react like that? He doesn't have the chance to call the Dragoon out on it as a scale slams into him. Edmund lets out a choked gasp, clutching his now bleeding side.
The moth is diving, and scales are still falling so Edmund reacts on instinct. He attempts to send a surge of fire up as a shield in front of him. Both to block scales and hopefully have the moth fly into. It's dangerous, risky, and stupid. He's terrified but the creature is attracted to flame and at the moment he's the only one wielding it.
~
Edmund uses his fire magic to create a shield/barrier of fire in front of him to block scales and burn the moth if it hits the barrier.
Fire Manipulation: Can manipulate flames. Must be within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent
Type: Dark | Rank: Upgraded
Regional Score bonus: +3 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +3 should be included)
tried to wash you down with something strong But the taste of blood remains
Everyone wants you to get rid of the big moth-lure until you actually do, then it’s all “oh my god we can’t remember how to dodge” and “holy shit I’m bleeding” when their secondary lure works.
Maybe next time you’ll actually show up to the barracks and train with your Captain, kids.
The shattered dome means Koa’s voice is easily recognizable, and with her bow in hand Anju’s eyes follows the injured, strange young man at Koa’s side and realizes she won’t be able to do both. Even if it kills her to have to rely on spirits and luck rather than her own skill.
“Spirits, please. Bring our star home.” If she’s going to make a fool of herself and summon a sad mirage of Ronin flipping her the bird if their channeling fails, she’s not going to scream it like Koa. She’ll die with her pride. As for Riya, she commands her sister to swoop down toward the mothman’s back, consumed as it is with the flames down below, and to do a fly-by gout of flames before arching sharply back up into the sky.
- - -
Anju co-channels with Koa, and has Riya dive to shoot fire at the mothman from above while it’s distracted by the others on the street before trying to escape back to higher altitudes.
Accepted Channeling: Allows an Accepted to channel a spirit during a time of crisis (1x a season)
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
Cold, empty mattresses and falling stars My, how they start to look the same
Maybe it's the looking cool doing it that cinches the Channelling attempt for the two Accepteds. Who can tell? Not Ronin, that's for sure. The Supernova appears mid-flight - because that's what he'd been doing at the time, and yes, you're all very lucky he's wearing his clothes. Draconic wings flaring out, form radiating starlight in his surprise, he very quickly assesses the not good news going on with the observatory.
"Set a distraction and band together!" he calls, even as three points of light burst to life around him, before bolting directly at the creature. Before he can say anything more, however, he's gone again. And that's that.
Ronin arrives and uses his starbolts on the mothman!
Magic: Shooting Stars | The user may summon celestial energy as a projectile. Control is excellent, and multiple projectiles may be created at once. (In quests or other combat situations requiring dice rolling, only 3 stars may be created per post). Range: 60ft
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
It's a bold move for the Heart to attack with her own claws, but as Sohalia and her dragon dive in, both draw blood from the Mothman.
Unfortunately for Edmund, fire is not the sort of thing that can act as a shield, and so despite the wall he puts up in front of him, scales continue to rain down from the sky as the moth is drawn to the fire like a ... well, you get it.
Nothing else really matters, though, because as Koa and Anju do what Accepted do best, calling Ronin down from where and whatever he'd been doing, the Supernova puts a swift end to this entire ordeal with three blasts of starlight.
Nothing at all remains of the Mothman save for the scales littered on the ground, and as Ronin disappears and darkness descends once more, you're able to take stock of things. You've saved the city! And...you've also fucked up the Observatory.
You have all received
MothMan Scales | Incredibly lightweight but strong scales that can be crafted by a god into armour or a shield.
Stormbreak has received +8 for completing a KQ, but -5 for destroying part of a structure. This can be regained by completing a PQ+ to fix the Spyglass.
You may add a closing post.
Mothman: 0//237 Killed by Ronin for levelling purposes.
Observatory glass: Shattered!
Everyone wants to see heaven But no one wants to say goodbye
If she'd remembered that Accepted had the ability to channel, or if she'd realized that that was what Koa and Anju had intended, perhaps Soh would have thought twice about her plan of attack. As it was, she dove to attack at about the same time that Ronin appeared, and she hadn't quite gotten out of the way when his stars burst, sending the moth to - well, wherever moths went when they died.
Tarak, somehow, had managed to rake his claws across his wing and climb out of the line of fire, but Soh was still in the way. While not directly in the stars' path - which was a good thing, since otherwise she'd be dead - she was nonetheless in range of the stars' explosion. Shit, Soh thought as she flapped her wings hastily, trying to get out of the way. Shit, shit, SHIT! And then everything went white.
Everyone wants to see heaven But no one wants to die
Edmund had hoped that a surge of fire would act as a barrier to some extent. But clearly, he'd made a mistake. Letting out a shaky exhale he thanks Mother for not being hit once more. Hearing Koa and Anju call out for Ronin is a surprise. Channeling is something he will never get used to.
Then Ronin arrives and the moth is destroyed in hardly a heartbeat. Wide-eyed, Edmund eyes the body with shock. So, this was the difference between a demigod and a normal person. Terrifying and awe-inspiring.
Horrifying he means as Sohalia is caught in the attack. "Sohalia!" Edmund sprints over as fast as he can, still holding his side. He's too far away to catch her and a shock of fear goes through him. Others arrive and when it's clear that he can't do anything, he steps back.
Shaking from adrenaline and pain, the young Ancient collects his scale and waits to hear any word about his guildmate. He can only pray that she'll be ok.
tried to wash you down with something strong But the taste of blood remains
Ronin arrives in a flare of starlight and dragon wings, and even his surprise cannot dull the magnificence of his entrance. The end comes swiftly after that, though like most spirits summoned, Ronin disappears not long after he's heralded through. From the top of the observatory Anju watches helpless as the mothman is obliterated and Sohalia is caught in the crossfire.
Cursing, the Captain descends the stairs at equally breakneck speeds and emerges onto the street where the younger fighters remain. Riya collects a scale and hangs back with it, quiet and reserved as Anju takes control of the situation. "You - kid - you need medical attention too. Someone get us some stretchers!" The first is aimed at Edmund and the second at the Dragoons who had arrived on the scene. "Deal with any wounded first, then begin cleanup of the glass on the street and close off the building. We will examine the extent of the damage in the morning." She doesn't regret shattering the glass in the least given how effective it had been, but they'll need to fix it regardless, especially given the season.
All she can do is be grateful nobody was lost this time.
- Anju out!
Cold, empty mattresses and falling stars My, how they start to look the same
So tired trying to see from behind the red in my eyes No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight
It works. Koa's breath escapes him as Ronin appears, resplendent in starlight, a dream on dragon wings. Awe and gratitude and a little healthy terror grip him as he watches the demigod hurl death down upon the moth, making quick work of what may otherwise have been a mighty foe. It is poetry in motion to the young Dragoon, a masterclass in efficiency and adaptability. The battle is won in a spray of scales and light, and Koa lets out a resounding whoop! of victory---
--- which turns to ashes on his mouth as he watches Sohalia fall.
And as Pip gathers up a scale, Koa Carpenter runs.
{fin!}
Koa
No other version of me I would rather be tonight And, Lord, she found me just in time
