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!
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Once Halo was stabilized enough, their people sufficient and efficient with necessities and requirements, the Sword aimed to make due on his promise to Hadama. And though he’d heard enough information and intel to gather himself for the images below, passing over the flooded isles, the broken and beaten portions of Haulani, and the meteor island in the distance, gave him adequate pause. For more than a few moments he hovered in his eagle form, gazing along proportions of the dreaded abomination lurking in the water, and then everything else – intending to return later to the main land and see if there was anything else to be done.
For now, they would hunt – because there were more than just threats lurking in the water levels.
He’d long since passed out notices to anyone interested in their next hunting party, scrawling out where they could and work and maul. Though he was unfamiliar with Metacarpal Isle, save for the unfortunate stories of bones and death amidst the crimson, he figured its proximity to ominous beacons and Torchline itself meant it harbored some menacing and minatory depictions of creatures they’d once known and understood.
Though his eyes narrowed towards the forest, he remained rooted upon the sandy banks, though it was clear that there wasn’t much left of those either. He’d wait for those interested in destruction, before moving in.
--
This is a PQ to hunt down void creatures in Torchline. It also counts towards an SE and assisting the Monster Hunter's Guild! Please have your character arriving and list anything they’re bringing. No post order!
Reaching Torchline had taken longer than expected, even knowing the Skyport and harbor were inoperable. Maea had gone anyway; taken a ship as far as it would go and traveled on foot the last stretch of the road. Through the flooded Ouerwoud in tiger form, and down into the devastation on two legs. She would have hurried, would have come sooner - but there was no quick way to get through a region under water, where every lodging and settlement lay broken and deserted.
She had cried when Hadama told her of the catastrophy. Now, in the midst of it, she knew why he couldn't. There just wasn't time for tears, for emotion, or pausing to take in the immensity of the tragedy. One step into the wreckage of Haulani and she was swept up in it. Empty hands filled in a heartbeat with carrying debris, carrying injured and elderly - carrying the dead. When she heard of the call for hunters to make a dent in the blighted creatures, she signed up without thinking twice about it. She could be awkward around old acquaintances later.
That didn't prevent her from approching Deimos with some trepidation, once she joined up at the meeting spot. They had never been close, but she still recalled the lessons he once gave her, instructions in combat and self-defense, and tales of his exploits had reached even her. The changes wrought to her since then made Maea self-conscious now; the horns, the tail she couldn't hide, the bloodlust singing in her veins - a little too eager for the hunt to come.
"Long time no see," she murmured in subdued greeting, maintaining a respectful distance. Hands tucked into black coat pockets, oblivious to the sweltering heat.
Maea brings everything on her profile (upgrades not functional) and a small pack of food, water and first aid supplies.
Maea
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
A machine where your heart once was Slowly takes the place of you
Liam had spent some time in Halo, assisting where he could, before turning his sights on Torchline. Upon arrival in the coastal region, he'd heard tell of a hunting party preparing to search for void creatures and had immediately signed up to assist. Helping with the wounded or transporting supplies or organizing relief efforts were all well and good, but there were others more well-suited than he to such tasks. He was a soldier, and his place, if he had one at all, was on the battlefield. Even when it meant fighting against infected (?) creatures. Perhaps especially so.
He arrived in simple, well-worn armor from his days as a Dragoon, with a sword strapped to his hip, a dagger on the opposite side, and a pack that contained fresh water, some dried meat and fruits, and some basic first aid supplies. Though he'd always been more confident in up-close combat, he also carried a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back. Upon arrival, he offered Deimos a respectful nod and tried not to stare at the horned woman who was clearly an Ancient.
------
Liam arrives with a basic sword, a basic dagger, a basic bow, a quiver of 10 arrows, and a pack containing food, water, and first aid supplies.
Only hold the memories now Of a love I thought I knew
It creeps in like a thief in the night Without a sign, without a warning
With Halo in a state of relative stability, Noah was able to come with Deimos to help Torchline as he said he would to Hadama. So here he was, appropriately dressed for the weather, and dressed up for destructive machinations. Before he found his comrades, he stood staring out at the pulsing purple light around the meteor for gods knew how long. It was only Liam moving across the sand that caught his attention and brought him back to the mission ahead.
He appeared beside Deimos just around the same time as the other two. He gave Deimos and Liam nods, before offering a smile towards Maea. ”Glad to see you’re adventuring.” Or, at least, traveling. When she greeted Deimos the way she did, Noah didn’t let his face falter, but there was clear confusion over the attuned bond. How long have you known her? I was under the impression she was dormant in stone for a long time. Did that mean, perhaps, that the woman had been something else before she became ancient, before she slept?
Noah’s mind’s gears ticked with the possibilities. But, it wasn’t the time to fuss on that now. Now was the time for destruction and the coming of divine fury. Now was the time to serve his god above all else.
Noah has all of his abilities and small items, as well as his fire quiver, a bow, and some lengths of rope. No companions.
But we are ready and prepared to fight Raise up your swords, don't be afraid
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Deimos couldn’t help the widening of his eyes as he caught sight of the first individual. Maea wasn’t someone he’d seen in a great number of years – perhaps not since well before the war, during moments of resurrection, Ascended motions and notions rather than remaining with Mort. He hadn’t known how she, or many others, had meandered through after battles, though, judging by the horns and tail, she’d gone a similar route as Kiada. So his brow arched at the subdued greeting, muffling a snort threatening to rumble through his chest, and instead extended one of his own. “Maea. Have you been well?” A subjective notion nowadays, but enough of a collective inquiry.
Then Liam and Noah arrived, and the Forsaken’s curiosity was matched by another inward reverberation. Since we were all in the Grounds, uncertain why it mattered. She could have been. It would explain a great many things – but his attention was for hunts and into the crimson unknown.
Extending his focus back to the present, he nodded at their range of volunteers. “Thank you for coming. We are looking for any void-related creatures. I have received word that there are numerous altered flora and fauna.” And with the proximity to the new, makeshift island, he wouldn’t be surprised if there were quite a few scattered amidst the isle. “We can move out. Be as quiet as you can.” Animals would likely pick up on their scent regardless, but it wouldn’t hurt to be stealthy and sly; catch them far more unawares.
So he turned, leading the way into the bizarre wake.
--
Head into the woods! Feel free to utilize any abilities/items, etc. No post order!
And I only needed one more touch Another taste of devouring rush
Simple greetings, void of questions she couldn't answer and condemnation she couldn't stomach. A tension eased between her shoulderblades, and a faint smile ghosted across her face, warming her features. Sharing it between the two men she knew, it winked out when she caught the third one looking at her.
"Oh, well enough. Keeping busy. I heard about Halo - I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help, too." More than Torchline or even the Grounds, Halo had won her heart a long time ago. Only her own intolerance for the cold kept her from making it her home once more.
With courtesies out of the way, she paid attention as Deimos went straight to business. Checking one final time that she had everything, Maea nodded acceptance of the requirement for stealth. When she moved to follow Deimos, there was a melting and changing of her features, a swell as lean limbs bulked up into a Molten Tiger's powerful body.
Mute to any Attuned attempts of communication, she made sure they had all seen her shift - to avoid accidents - and padded on silent paws into the depth of the eerie jungle. Scents of death and decay bombarded her nose, and the long tail flicked excitedly as she passed by Liam; shimmering hot metal strips narrowly missing him.
Maea shifts into her Molten Tiger form and heads off into the jungle.
But the room was so quiet Whose side am I on?
Base by Skylark, Art by Midjourney
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
It creeps in like a thief in the night Without a sign, without a warning
Noah gave the inclination he understood what Deimos said over the attuned bond, but tucked it all away for later. After all, like Deimos thought himself, not wasn't the time for that. But pieces were starting to come together or him, to weave together this world into a tighter fabric for him. Noah offered Maea a greater smile when she said she was doing well enough and offered her condolences on their home. Noah knew that Maea liked Halo -- she has said as much herself -- but didn't know the depth of the grief she had of not being able to spend more time there as an ancient.
Before they set off, Noah slung his quiver off of his back. He handed it over to Liam, "These start fire on impact. Deimos made it. There's room for the arrows you brought in it, too." Noah said. "Could be useful on this hunt." Noah knew that, as a dragoon and therefor an accepted, Liam didn't posses any magical abilities like the rest of them did. No spells and no shifts. He took his own bow and slung it over himself where the quiver had once been. Patting Liam on the shoulder, Noah jutted his chin to follow after Maea, and then did so himself.
Noah offers Liam his fire quiver for the duration of this PQ, and follows Maea.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Fire Quiver | A magical quiver that turns any arrow placed within into a flaming projectile that ignites upon impact. (Made by Deimos)
But we are ready and prepared to fight Raise up your swords, don't be afraid
A machine where your heart once was Slowly takes the place of you
Liam would never have intentionally wanted to make the Ancient uncomfortable, but he couldn't help but stare a little too long at the horns and tail - so different from what he was used to in Stormbreak. When the woman shifted into a molten tiger, though, the ex-Dragoon raised an eyebrow, looking impressed. As Maea stalked past, her long, heated tail narrowly missing him, Liam moved quickly to the side, just in case she decided to try and set him on fire, just oblivious enough to not realize that his own staring was the reason for the woman's ire.
Noah offered him a quiver. Liam accepted with a word of thanks. It was very kind of Noah to offer him such a prize - even temporarily - and the ex-Dragoon suddenly realized that of the four of them (a demigod, a man who might as well be one, and an Ancient), he was perhaps the least qualified to be here. Still, that didn't mean that he wouldn't give it his best. He traded his own quiver for the fire quiver quickly, slinging it across his back and nocking one arrow in place. Then he followed the group into the forest, periodically checking behind them, as he was bringing up the rear.
------
Liam accepts the fire quiver and follows everyone into the forest.
Only hold the memories now Of a love I thought I knew
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Well enough and keeping busy were the strongholds of many conversations, for no one had the heart to dig deeper presently. Too many factors weighed heavily on every side, and while none of them were in denial of the circumstances surrounding them, they certainly didn’t bother to touch those frayed, fractured edges.
Instead, they fell into place, tigers and demigods, Dragoons and Wardens, inching into thickets of crimson and bones, an unnerving and quiet foothold that left his spine taut, eyes narrowed. He would’ve expected it unfurling with life – even after the latest trials and tribulations – but the threshold of silence loomed before them.
Even marginally different was the fact that normal hunting parties were there to lure prey – but they were after more dangerous, hostile things – predators upon predators, waiting and stalking for opportunities.
The Sword, perhaps foolishly so, had expected animals. Instead, the first threat received were black tendrils shifting from roots, serpentine and sturdy, a whisper in branches, a shadow pressing in, reaching, reaching, reaching for Noah.
--
The party has encountered a :
Voidbark Dudes (common): Twisted versions of the Walking Palms, these trees are void-infested horrors. Their roots writhe like serpents, seeking out the life force of anything they touch. The whispers of the void wind through their branches, echoing the demise of those ensnared by their shadows.
And it’s reaching for Noah! What will you do next? No post order!
And I only needed one more touch Another taste of devouring rush
The island had a way of driving home the cycle of life and death in a very straight forward way. Normally dead and decaying things were allowed to break down before becoming nourishment for plants, but not here. Careless steps would yield a crunch of brittle bone, while her nose filled with a mingled odor of putrefaction, verdure and ocean brine.
Maea kept her eyes peeled where she wound her way through dense foliage, because she didn't trust her other senses. It was far too quiet. Hackles rose, a sense of something waiting, looming...
Black tendrils snaked forth in virulent hissing motions. Agile in her feline guise, the tiger spun around and slashed at the roots with her claws, perhaps a bit too eager to jump into the fray. Even getting near the whipping void-touched plant was unpleasant; she refrained from trying to bite them, unwilling to find out if there might be adverse effects of consuming such nether energies.
Maea turns around and swipe at the roots with her claws.
But the room was so quiet Whose side am I on?
Base by Skylark, Art by Midjourney
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
A machine where your heart once was Slowly takes the place of you
The silence was unnerving. Liam may not have been a particularly experienced hunter, but even he knew that there should be some manner of sound in the foliage: snapping twigs (or, in this case, bones), the calls of birds, the sounds of scurrying mice. Even the gentle shushing noise of a breeze in the plants around them seemed muted, raising the hairs on the back of his neck as he crept as quietly as possible after everyone, a fire arrow nocked on his bow.
Then, sudden movement - a writhing mass upon the ground, snapping and crackling bones as whatever it was reached out towards Noah. Had Liam been younger, or less well-trained, he might have stopped to stare as he realized that the moving thing appeared to be an infected variant of a Walking Palm - but, fortunately, his training kicked in and had him raising his bow. Perhaps, if he could set the thing on fire -
So he aimed for the heart of the dark, twisted tree and fired.
------
Liam tries to light the Voidbark Dude on fire with a fire arrow!
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Fire Quiver | A magical quiver that turns any arrow placed within into a flaming projectile that ignites upon impact. (Made by Deimos)
Only hold the memories now Of a love I thought I knew
It creeps in like a thief in the night Without a sign, without a warning
For some reason, Noah wasn’t surprised he was the first target. It was an innate knowing in his gut, a feeling he was most familiar with when discerning people or danger out on the tundra. It was the same gut feeling that had given him the confidence to bring down his first human life, in protection of himself and Korbin. This feeling now, though, said that what touched his soul was much different than what touched the void-beings and that they were enemies inherit.
So Noah, along with his comrades, struck. He attempted first to dodge the strike of the dude, and then attacked. Having given his quiver to Liam, who used it well, Noah had only his magic to strike with. Putting and pulling his arms as if he were aiming with a bow, a celestial light bow appeared in his hands. Then, Noah send two light arrows towards the voidbark dude.
Noah shoots at the voidbark dude with his celestial arrows.
Magic: Vi’s Ranger | Noah may summon a celestial energy bow with which he can shoot two celestial energy arrows (at one target) up to 30ft. Control is excellent.
Type: Light | Rank: Upgraded
But we are ready and prepared to fight Raise up your swords, don't be afraid
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
One could never quite understand the motivations of predators – tree or otherwise – but to watch the maneuvering timber widened Deimos’ eyes to the more horrors and possibilities of the world around them. There could be far worse things cloaked like daggers amidst the palms and bone fixtures, and with such knowledge came the instinctual trepidation clinging to his ribs and hearts and marrow.
But now wasn’t the time for inward perils or reflections – action was the only nuance they needed to find. Inquiries and answers could come later.
The Ancient’s claws struck fast, but they were left in the open air, entangled in only leaves and ether as the limber columns moved faster than her. Liam, despite being newly acquainted with the bow, found himself steadfast and sturdy, swiping at the newfound beast with the notched flames, where it landed precariously in one of the lower limbs. Noah too would find himself out of its clutches, for now, as it reared back from another lodging of arrows.
So when Deimos drew forth his inherent fire, the predator was already hissing through its writhing roots; the whispers droned on and on, echoing across forests and groves and canopies and boughs, dreadful and ominous.
And still, after all this, it didn’t back off.
Fully aflame and incensed, it remained completely indifferent to its disastrous wake. Sensing an opportunity, one of the serpentine vines reached out once more, begging and craving a victim, and seeking out Maea in this juncture.
--
Maea has missed, but Liam, Noah, and Deimos have all hit. The palm isn’t done yet though, and is reaching out for Maea.
Anyone can miss, it is part and parcel of trying. The truth of the matter was that the rest of the party war remained better equipped than her, and that was that. Still, that did not mean Maea was about to pack up and go home. Not so petty, she regained her balance as arrows unleashed on the voidling and felt the heat of immolation wash over her like a warm embrace as the Voidbark Dude was set aflame.
When the vines switched target to her instead, it seemed a very convenient thing. Fearless in the face of fire, unable to burn, she waited until the last moment and shifted back into herself. With glowing daggers in hand, Maea sliced at the vines with her chakram, hoping to keep them distracted so that her companions could finish the thing off.
Maea shifts back into a person, and cuts at the vines with her chakram.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Lasracha | A pair of chakrams. The outer rim of these throwing discs are sharpened to a razor's edge, and glint with a curious crimson. Imbued with fire, they burn as well as they cut.
Magic: Fire Resistance (passive) | Cannot be harmed by heat or flame.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
Maea
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
