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!
Ground is shaking underneath now that you're here Body's skipping beats when you appear
It was harder than Soh had expected to leave Stormbreak in the wake of the meteor. With so much of Caido affected - with so many dead - she couldn't help but wonder if they were next. Still, the best way she could think of to help her people was to continue trying to find ways to protect them, and Frey's directions had been clear. So here she was, Koa, Everest, and Noe in tow, searching for bones in the desert.
"Thank you all for coming," she said as they started their search. "I know things are... less than ideal at the moment. Maybe healing waters in the Eye of the Storm will help." If she was dubious about their odds, she kept it to herself. At least Koa was along if they ran into trouble... although, on second thought, maybe they should have brought more Dragoons. Just in case.
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Hello and welcome to part one of the PQ for our healing waters RQ! Please post your characters arriving. <3
The world is on fire since you've come here All I've ever desired is here with me
Ruffling a few golden feathers from his curls that always seemed to linger when he shifted back, the aviator adjusted the bag slung over his shoulder before glancing up at the group. He'd brought enough food and supplies to last them a few weeks if they rationed properly, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that. He could hunt and feed himself well enough as an eagle, as could Sohalia presumably as an owl. Both Noe and Koa seemed more than capable of fending for themselves, but that didn't mean the aviator was any less prepared than for the worst-case scenario.
"The faster we do this, the closer we are to healing waters and the faster we can get home." He said to Sohalia in a voice that aimed to be reassuring but likely came out more procedural and academic than he'd like. Still, this was Everest, and that was pretty good for him.
Ever arrives with lots of food and supplies.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on his sword
"You thought any more about being our quartermaster?" Koa asks Ever, not for the first time, though for the first time this trip. He, too, has brought a good amount of supplies, largely with the aviator's input - he'd gone to his friend for advice on packing, figuring Everest would have already started a mental list. Now he walks along beside him, copper eyes attentive on the surroundings even as he speaks. "We could use all hands on deck, especially now. Gods knows I can't organize everything myself."
He's keeping an eye on Noe, too, not quite trusting his spirited sister not to start some shit with Soh. Though he's tried to convince the engineer that he and the Heart are on good terms, a) he knows she's seen him cry over Soh, and b) he's honestly not entirely sure what those terms even are. Still, he has too much to worry about to babysit, and has to trust his sister to be mature right now - even if there's a part of him that will always see her as a child, that very much wishes she wasn't even on this mission, because if she gets hurt he doesn't know how he will survive.
Koa's got his profile stuff, plus a bow and arrows, escrima sticks, and his supplies.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail Strategy sets the scene for the tale
Noe wasn't super excited to be accompanying Sohalia, of all people, across the world. But at least she got some free travel out of it, which she couldn't complain about, and it mean exploring places she'd never been. Even if Caido was a hot mess, and even if Koa kept shooting her looks that silently begged her to behave. The last time he looked her way, she rolled her eyes at him, as though to say, yes, yes, I'm a big girl now, I can be mature.
She'd been lucky to avoid the worst of the moon/meteor/whatever's effects, though Torchline as a whole had suffered greatly. It had hurt her heart to leave the coastal region behind, but for now, she was still a Breaker, and she'd made a commitment to help complete the regional quest that they were on. So here she was. With bells on.
She tagged along, doing her best to keep her eye rolls restricted to Koa. She didn't have much to offer, not like the others - Sohalia, for all the girl disliked her, was the Heart of Stormbreak, and the boys had both brought supplies. Of the four of them, she suspected that Koa was the only one that would really be helpful in terms of defense, but hopefully they wouldn't need it.
"So..." she said to the group at large. "Animal bones, right?"
I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails And the liquor in our cocktails
Ground is shaking underneath now that you're here Body's skipping beats when you appear
Soh was aware of the fact that Noe didn't like her. It was obvious in the way the girl glared at her when she thought Soh wasn't looking. And, after having finally figured out just who Noe was, the Heart couldn't blame her. She hate herself enough for what she'd done to Koa, and even if they were on good terms now, she wasn't sure she'd ever fully forgive herself. She didn't expect Noe to, either. But what she did expect was for their group to act with respect and maturity. So far, so good.
"Yes," she told Noe, pausing to hand out a few sacks to the group. We just need to gather the bones and bring them back to Stormbreak." She looked out over the desert. Hopefully, it would be easy, but with everything going on in the world... "Just - everyone stay close, please."
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Round 1
Begin to search the area for animal bones!
The world is on fire since you've come here All I've ever desired is here with me
"I have, actually. I think I can fit it into my schedule." From anyone else this might have been interpreted rather wryly, but coming from Everest, it's meant quite literally. Should Koa ask, the aviator will be able to produce multiple schedules that demonstrate his ability ot lend his time appropriately to the dragoons while also keeping up with his other obligations. Of course, this is made somewhat easier given the destruction of the Tavern.
Smiling politely toward Noe before focusing his attention on Sohalia, Everest looked uncomfortable for just a moment as he itched at the back of his neck. "Would you be able to hold my bag while I...' Blinking, Everest tries on an uncomfortable smile. "As a dog I think I'll be more able to find bones than like this."
So saying, he pulls his bag from his shoulder and shifts. Placing his nose to the ground and trying to tell his instincts that this was not a game, the shepherd set off at a brisk jot.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail Strategy sets the scene for the tale
Noe accepted the offered sack with not even a sneer, though she didn't say thank you, either. Instead, she turned away from the Heart with a soft hmph and began searching the nearby ground for bones. She ranged away from the ground, scanning the desert floor, glancing over her shoulder every now and then to make sure she didn't get too far from Koa. She didn't trust the others to be able to protect her, should the worst happen.
Everest seemed nice enough, and the girl watched with interest as he shifted into a black shepherd and began his own searching. "That's convenient," she commented to no one in particular, then continued her search. She didn't have any special powers, nor did she even have an item yet - she was just a girl and, ironically, plagued with the same worries of uselessness as Sohalia.
I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails And the liquor in our cocktails
idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on his sword
As far as Koa's concerned that's a full-fledged commitment from Everest, and the Dragoon's grin is big enough it threatens to split his face. "Awesome!" he exclaims, clapping a hand on the Attuned's shoulder - and the quickly removing it with an "Oops, sorry."
Everest turns to Soh, and so Koa turns to Noe, an eyebrow raised at his sister. "C'mon - I bet I can find better bones than you." Winking, the young Dragoon sets off, Pipsqueak on his heels as they begin rifling around for appealing once-appendages, though not without a good amount of brotherly teasing and skeletal-based antics interspersed.
Ground is shaking underneath now that you're here Body's skipping beats when you appear
At Everest's quiet request, Sohalia smiled and retrieved his bag. She wouldn't have thought to shift to look for bones, but then, she wasn't sure that either an owl or a jaguar would be as efficient at the task as a dog. She simply let him wander off, searching for bones in his own way. As Koa attempted to make a game of the search with his sister, Soh felt suddenly quite alone. She shoved the feeling aside and began her own hunt, keeping an eye on the others to make sure they didn't range too far from one another.
Fortunately for all involved, there was success all around. Everest was the first to find something, with his canine nose leading him to a small stash of bones that appeared to be the remnants of some poor desert creature or other. They were remarkably well-preserved, and there were quite a few of them, and his sack would be filled about halfway (probably by someone else, given that he's a dog). Noe was next, crowing her success as she shot a satisfied glance at Koa, and was able to pick out a few mismatched bones and fill her bag about a quarter of the way. Unfortunately for her, Koa wasn't far behind, finding a larger selection nearby that filled his sack about a third of the way. Soh was the last to find a pile of bones, but she was fortunate, finding a collection that appeared to have been half-buried by some creature or other. With a half-full sack, she carried on.
It wasn't long before movement caught Sohalia's eye, and she glanced up from her perusal of the ground to find a pair of cloud wyrms floating daintily overhead. She paused, watching, as they floated along on the breeze, little puffs of clouds streaming from their mouths. Interestingly, Everest seemed to catch their attention, and they flew down to twine around the shepherd's body playfully.
------
Round 2
Continue to search for animal bones, and/or do something about the cloud wyrms pestering Ever!
The world is on fire since you've come here All I've ever desired is here with me
Some dogs are naturally brave, while others aren't. Though certainly Ever's rather timid personality was much improved while he was a canine, there were certain things even his animal instincts couldn't placate.
Being touched with hands made for petting him was one thing. Being twined about with snake-like wyrms breathing clouds in his ears was another entirely.
Yelping his panic, the shepherd sunk to the sands and began to army-crawl toward Koa. Ears pinned helplessly against his skull, the blue of his eyes were ringed with white as he panted his upset with ever-increasing speed.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail Strategy sets the scene for the tale
Noe's search for bones yielded quick results, and the girl picked one up to wave it gleefully at her brother. "First blood," she crowed at the Dragoon, wiggling the not insignificant bone fragment in his direction before pocketing it in the satchel she'd been given. She gathered up a few more bones from the collection she'd stumbled across, and then continued her search.
She was interrupted, though, by a soft hissing and a flash of white, and when she looked up, there were a pair of cloud wyrms that had appeared in the air around the group - and they seemed to be congregating on poor Everest, who had flattened his dog-form to the ground and begun to army crawl towards Koa, yelping his panic. Noe bit her lip to keep from giggling, for though it was a somewhat comical sight, especially given that cloud wyrms were largely harmless, poor Everest was clearly in distress.
So Noe hurried towards the shepherd, waving her hands gently at the cloud wyrms in an attempt to shoo them away from the aviator.
I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails And the liquor in our cocktails
