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!
Sah glanced over at the abrupt sound and grimaced as he took in the broken bed, "At least it broke now and not when an injured person went to lay down on it?"
As Deimos worked on the broken bed, Sah grabbed an armful of linens. Going from bed to bed, he made them up for incoming patients. When every bed had at least one blanket, he went back and doubled up for extra coziness. Even if he didn't sleep in a bed, the Abandoned still knew how to make one up at least. Nests of blankets and pillows would always be superior places to sleep for the Outlander.
The help of all of the children warmed Noah’s heart, to say the least. He kept conversation up with them and the smile never faded from his face. Soon their pile of scraps grew at the same rate as their good vegetables and herbs for the soup. ”This will be a substantial meal.” Noah said with a firm nod. ”Last thing we need is to just add some Luxere!” He exclaimed with a smile to the children, then gave Mrs. KNotwise a look over his shoulder. Instead of Luxere, however, he was sent off for bread.
Taking the warning to heart, Noah disappeared right then and there. From his spot in the kitchen he teleported to the entrance of a bakery down the street, unaffected by the starfall icncident. He stepped in and bartered for the bread, but it cost him an entire ursur pelt and a day’s worth of helping gather supplies from other regions that Noah promised to bank later. With a veritable sack full of different types of breads, Noah teleported back to the palace and plopped it down before Mrs KNotwise and hte children. ”Did she wake?”
Noah teleports to the bakery, gets bread, and teleports back.
i'd fashioned my own cross been crushed by its weight there's no stronger message than dirt in your face
The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head The thunder of the drums dictates
“True,” Deimos snorted at Sah’s insinuation; the situation could always be worse. Together, the efforts and combinations ensured the space was a safer haven for those who couldn’t reach the infirmary, or needed medical care within the shelter itself. It certainly wasn’t a reflection of Halo’s main healing facilities, but it would do for the moment. “This looks good,” he added to the fellow Abandoned, before following the scents and aromas of the cooking soup.
Thanks to the surrounding expertise of Mrs. Knotwise, Noah’s teleportation, and the assorted supplies, the soup and bread came together nicely. It was a welcome reprieve from the constant onslaught, and the cook invited them all to come participate in helping themselves – quiet threads and moments needed amidst the bout of chaos outside. Even the children had found instances to slurp and munch without wreaking havoc. The workers could fill their stomachs, before anything else surmised –
And there it was, with a few foot stomps through the door – another small hoard of individuals came hastening through.
Talking all at once, of course.
”Has anyone seen my brother, Sebastian? He was on the tundra before the -,” the man waved his hands emphatically, a picture of duress and distress.
Another woman stepped forward, ushering a child in front of her. ”Infirmary sent us here, my daughter’s arm is broken!” and she sobbed, wailing louder than the child clutching her arm to her chest.
Another man waved from the back of the crowd. “Could use another pair of hands to help fix the shop!”
--
The medical side has been assembled, and everyone has the opportunity to eat some food!
Now there’s a new wave of NPCs. Have your character take one and decide how to best assist.
- Henry Knox – looking for his brother
- Mrs. Poland and her daughter Amelia – broken arm dilemmas
- Chester Spring – needs assistance in his nearby shop
No post order!
The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead The rising of the horns, ahead
With the bread retrieved to finish the last of the meal, it was time to fill bellies. The children scrambled and grabbed bowls and filled themselves until they were near bursting. He left them, happy and content and collected to their mother like chicks under a hen’s wing, and made his way towards Deimos. He came just at the same time as the woman bursting in with her child, her eyes wild and in a panic like a frantically trapped Luxere.
Noah opened his hands and extended them towards the woman. ”I can help.” Noah said gently, then he leaned down. He pulled mentally at the unicorn, who had propped a hoof and taken a nap in the palace lobby. He woke to Noah’s tug, however, and came trotting up the solid floor. Blinking at the young girl and shaking his mane, the unicorn lowered his head and touched her arm with his horn.
Noah heals the broken arm dilemma with Vi’dore. “”healing abilities count as roughly 'upgraded healing' magic and is tied to the abandoned's endurance stat” from the GB.
Upgraded form: Heals wounds at upgraded level.
Example: Includes open and closed fractures, concussions, headaches . Can ease minor mental afflictions like depression and anxiety symptoms, or heal someone who has been 'charmed'. *Cannot heal the ascended
i'd fashioned my own cross been crushed by its weight there's no stronger message than dirt in your face
If Lilly and Pad had been present, Sah would have volunteered to have the wolves track down Sebastian. With them at home, he assumed that one of Deimos' shifts would have greater success than the Wild Thunder. With Noah tending to the little girl, Sah nodded to Chester, "I can help you with your shop. What needs to be repaired or replaced?" Between labor and magic, the Wild Thunder should have just about anything covered. Should. One could never be too sure with Halo.
Come to think of it, Sah honestly couldn't recall what the shop had been, to begin with. He needed to shop more, apparently.
Sah offers his assistance (magic and labor) to Chester Spring.
The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head The thunder of the drums dictates
With Deimos having recently patrolled and fished several out of the newfound shores, he nodded, maneuvering towards Henry rapidly. “We can look at the list,” and he motioned towards one he’d kept by the door, charting down names - of who’d been pulled out of the water, found, managed to escape the tundra’s bite, deceased, and the number of individuals still yet to be seen. While Henry and the Warden glanced over the list, they both noticed the notched portion of the sibling’s name – snagged later on, and already in the infirmary. ”Thank you,” the man hastened off, and the Sword nodded, glad that portion had a happier ending.
Noah would have some good fortune too, because as soon as the unicorn appeared both parent and child had widened eyes and stilled forms. Rather than shrieking or succumbing to their panic, the equine calmly and efficiently mended the torn and tattered arm, leaving the mother beside herself with relief now, rather than the alternative. ”Oh, wonderful! Thank you so much!”
Sah, on the other hand, would find himself outside the Palace, directly across from their makeshift shelter. Chester Spring’s shop was similar to the Took’s butchery, but visited more frequently (he had a much better temperament). Unfortunately, in some facet of collapse, the entire front frame of the store had fallen into disarray, and would require probably more than just Sah’s aid. ”Well,” Chester added, sheepishly. ”Whole front likely needs to be redone. I was worried people would come around looking for food, and then this -,” he waved his hands, and went to snag the tools.
--
Noah and Deimos’ tasks have been fulfilled, but Sah is going to need some backup.
While the other NPCs are still occupied, go assist with the front of Chester’s shop!
Your character is likely to encounter issues with the following (and you may pick one to deal with):
- Cracked wooden frames
- Debris underneath
- Shattered glass
No post order!
The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead The rising of the horns, ahead
The healing was quick and easy, and Vi’dore’s purpose continued to solidify for the demigod. Thankful for his companion, the hunter patted him on the neck and gave his departing words to the mother and daughter, telling them where they could find food and somewhere to rest.
Then they were tugged away to the next project. Trying to keep his determined and positive spirit about it all — for it had gone extremely well to this point, even if the work list continued to grow — he went to the shop. The demigod looked around and frowned at what he saw. There certainly was a lot of work to do here, and work that Noah knew needed to happen before this tragedy.
Putting his nose down, Noah started working on cleaning up the broken glass.
Noah cleans broken glass!
i'd fashioned my own cross been crushed by its weight there's no stronger message than dirt in your face
Sah raised a brow as he regarded the shop, "I see." He flashed Chester a reassuring smile, "We'll take care of it." Spotting Noah's arrival, he nodded at the man before turning to the debris around the shop. He manually picked up and removed those that he could, but some remnants were either too lodged or too out of reach for his hands. To deal with those, he channeled a combination of air magic and telekinesis to tease them out.
The Wild Thunder worked slowly. He kept an eye out on his surroundings to prevent another avalanche of debris by dislodging the wrong piece.
~
Sah clears the debris underneath using labor and magic!
Telekinesis: Can move large objects.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Air manipulation: Can create and control the air. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head The thunder of the drums dictates
The call for assistance outside the shelter gave Deimos pause; as though it were relinquishing some portion of their duties. But everything seemed fine within, for the moment, and he gave the other occupants a heads-up for where they’d be – Mrs. Knotwise waved him and Noah away, and he arrived at what used to be the front of the Chester’s shop.
Taking hold of the cracked wooden frames, more than once he thought to repair them, but given the way they’d collapsed or broken apart, there was no fixing the beams. Instead, he moved them aside for future kindling and other resources, and began to utilize his creation magic to ensure necessities and ideals.
Noah eventually had a pile of glass too, warped and carefully orchestrated to alleviate any other danger or destruction. Efforts made by Sah saw debris cleaned and taken, until all three of them had managed to cleanse the area of dangerous artifacts, but anyone could see the work remaining was also labor intensive.
While Chester took care of the things they’d parsed away, Deimos set his sights on placing the wooden beams back where they belonged. “Help me with this?” He turned to the Thunder and Forsaken respectively, until they’d each taken hold somewhere.
--
Help put the wooden beams back in place!
No post order!
The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead The rising of the horns, ahead
Noah maneuvered the heavy wooden beams, determination etched on his face. The three of them shared the load, just as they had many times before while working to help others in Halo. Noah helped steady the cross beam and the creaking protest of aged wood filled the air as they worked. Noah, with a strength honed by years of work and the blessed touch of a god, guided the beams into place. ”Is this good?” He asked, glacier eyes flicking over to the Sword and the Wild Thunder. He would defer to their judgement and just focus on offering his brute strength. He was no craftsman, even though by now he surely could have made a second career out of helping salvage damage and carpenter new creations.
Noah helps place the cross beam!
i'd fashioned my own cross been crushed by its weight there's no stronger message than dirt in your face
The debris cooperated thankfully and was soon taken care of. Looking up in response to Deimos' call, Sah nodded. "Sure." He walked over and picked up a beam. Hefting it onto his shoulder, he then arranged it alongside the others so that its end would settle snugly against the crossbeam. Once it was in place, he double-checked the placement.
The beams seemed to be appropriately placed so Sah nodded, "I think so." Once it was agreed that the beams were correct, the Wild Thunder then began the work of securing his into place. The trio had completed numerous construction and renovation projects together. Constantly building and rebuilding Halo for the betterment of all. Yet Sah couldn't shake the heaviness in his chest.
Preparing for war, repairing the damage, and renovating their public spaces. This felt different. There was a threat once more, but it was one that they had barely any information on. There was no slow buildup of rising tension between regions and people. Just...a brief warning and then a sudden impact. Now there was a lull, and they could only brace themselves for what the fallout would be when the threat finally revealed itself.
The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head The thunder of the drums dictates
In true Halovian form, they hastened to the call over and over again – whether it be through repairs, these shelters, or anything else necessary. Chester cheered on while Noah, Deimos, and Sah inspected, surveyed, and guided the beams along. Forces of strength, goodwill, and prosperous amounts of effort saw them through, and by the end of it, the shopfront stood once more – though clearly lacking in windows.
Deimos snorted at the arrangement nonetheless, pleased, content, and feeling those inclinations of fatigue wearing again. “This looks good. I can create some windows and help put them in, if one of you want to go ahead and check in on those in the shelter.” Pausing as he began to orchestrate and modify panels of glass for the empty paces, his head tilted, calculations and machinations coiling once more. “We probably only need to clean things up there.” If everyone else was content, and they had it in capable hands for those who needed and required its use…they were nearly complete.
--
Chester’s shopfront is set!
Deimos is staying to help make and put in windows. One can do the same with him, and the other can go clean up the shelter/check in on everyone.
No post order! Should be the last round!
The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead The rising of the horns, ahead
The beams -- like most of their work over the last several hours -- seemed to go through without a hitch. The three men with their skill and experience hardly broke a sweat placing the beams as they needed to go. Noah grunted when the last bolt fell in to place and he could feel the weight of the beam leave his shoulders as the other beams came in for support. Brushing his hands off, Noah stepped back from where he was and nodded firmly towards his comrades.
"I can help with the windows if you want to go check on the people in the palace." Noah said, giving Sah an encouraging look. Then, he turned back towards Deimos and readied himself for the man's instructions. When given, Noah would then help place the windows with the warden.
Noah helps Deimos
i'd fashioned my own cross been crushed by its weight there's no stronger message than dirt in your face
The beams were quickly settled into place with the three of them on the task. Chester's cheers made Sah snort, and he flashed the man a satisfied grin when the job was complete. Pulling a splinter off of his sleeve, the Wild Thunder nodded to the others. "Sure. I'll go check in on everyone. We can meet back up at the shelter when you two are done."
Leaving the others to it, Sah headed back to the shelter. He cleaned up the remnants of their work and made sure everything was orderly. When that was completed, he made the rounds on everyone present. He wanted to make sure that they were each taken care of and settled. Even Mrs. Took was begrudgingly checked on.
~
Sah goes to clean up the shelter and check on everyone!
