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!
Hadama watched in bemusement as all three of his colleagues headed to the other side of the island, leaving him to handle the beachfront property on his own. He took the turn of events with philosophical calm and focused on walking along the shore, noting the various businesses beginning to take shape as their foundations were laid down. "Build up," he recommended, using his mastered water manipulation to create a miniature visual example of what he meant. "On stilts buried deep. Raise the first floors a few feet up so the water can pass underneath without damage during king tides." And though he had little experience working with wood, he was strong enough to help haul materials to those who did know how to best use them.
Those who chose a career other than Beach provided solid advice to the people rebuilding on the other side of the island. Needing to dig out cellars and use heavy stone for the foundations made their work go slower and they needed the strength of their Queen, Vi's demigod, and that other guy to keep things moving along.
And speaking of That Other Guy... remember those wisps of thatch that had blown away earlier? They had blown towards the main island and among a flock of sleeping hels. Sleeping until one bird had a blown piece of straw poke into its eye and it woke with an irritable squawk. Seeing food floating freely through the air it rose up in excitement, making enough noise to wake the flock around it and before long they had followed the trail of floating thatch through the moonlit night to a scene of uncommon industry at the Docks.
Only these particular hels weren't looking for food. As they swooped down upon the industrious workers cries of alarm started to rise up from the entire island as shadowy seabirds alighted on their shoulders. Noah and Hadama quickly found themselves being used as perches by a bird with a large, sharp beak uncomfortably near their eyes. Florawho rolled a 1 found three of the malignant birds fluttering around her and trying to land on her head and shoulders. Only @Tal managed to escape their clutches by diving under a flipped wheelbarrow in the nick of time.
The Docks have been attacked by Voidbound Hels!
Noah and Hadama have Hels of their own to worry about, and Flora has three. Nearly half of the NPCs have ended up with one of these cursed birds on their shoulders.
Get rid of them!
Voidbound Hels (common ): The once friendly Hels now bear the taint of the void. If a Voidbound Hel chooses to land on you, a suffocating void aura envelops you instantly. It's no longer a matter of a leisurely stroll on the ocean; the void energy they bring becomes a relentless force, stealing your breath and plunging you into a desperate struggle for air.
Glancing up at the squawking and not really thinking much of it—hels gonna hel after all—it was only as a trio of birds came to try and use her like some raggedy perch that she began to really take notice. "Oh absolutely not." Scowling, Flora twisted the ring on her finger to render herself invisible, before darting to her right and reaching for her daggers.
Throwing them in quick succession with the hope of skewering the birds, if she missed she could recall the blades for a second try and barring that, hopefully, the poisoned projectiles would be enough of a deterrent to send them away.
Type: Grey | Style: Other | Level: Basic
Invisibility Ring | A gorgeous, copper-gold ring that, when worn, renders the wearer invisible.
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Deadly Plumage | Three iridescent feathers capable of being used as projectiles. Razor sharp, they will recall themselves to the user's palm at will up to a range of 30ft.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Star Poison | A poisonous coating on each of the Deadly Plumage daggers
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you
The building was going well and fine, and Noah was happy for the slightly cooler temperatures that the night brought as they continued to work. He imagined that doing this sort of physical labor in the bright sun of Torchline would be miserable, but the night made it tolerable. Like Flora, Noah didn’t notice too much disturbance from the birds at first. Not unlike ningo, hels were just a part of life in this area and didn’t need much of his attention. It wasn’t until one bird tried to land and perch on him did he notice that they were void-touched, and that made everything change.
The bird swooped in close with its sharp beak snapping towards him, and Noah went to bat at it when he felt the heaviness in his lungs. He sucked back a breath, trying desperately to fill his chest again with air. Glacier eyes widened momentarily as he jumped back and pulled on instinct invisible bow — until it wasn’t so invisible. Celestial light formed the weapon and the arrows that then flew straight for the bird in an attempt to end its life.
Noah shoots!
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
Magic: Wise Hunter (FEAT) | Animals roll with disadvantage against Noah.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
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)
Tal had never liked hels. Not even normal ones. He ignored the first flicker of wings, inured to ningo nonsense from his many years in Halo, but as the birds descended in greater numbers and cries of alarm started to rise from those they landed on he'd finally paid them some attention.
And oh, shit. Their eyes were definitely the wrong color, though in the dark he had to wait until they were way too close to figure that out.
"Nope!"
He managed to avoid one that thought he'd make a good coatrack, and from his new vantage he had a moment to think. Boreal was happily torching any birds that she could catch, and they were satisfyingly flammable (and lucky they were still mostly working on stone cellars and foundations), and Flora and Noah had the precision damage covered pretty well, so Tal drew his Dagger and started slashing at the Voidy birds that hadn't yet landed on victims, trying to keep anyone else from falling prey to the freaky Hels.
Tal uses his dagger to try and stab and slash at Voidbound Hels still in the air and chase them away!
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Special Delivery Dagger | A carefully crafted dagger veined with crimson markings, decorated with the foot of a blink hare. Upon making a stabbing motion in the air, the dagger may damage a target up to 30ft away from the user.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Honed by Nightmares | A curious silvery coating covers the Special Delivery Dagger. Causes extra physical damage at a Basic level.
Hadama didn't realize that the flock of night-flying birds were void-touched until he heard the wheezing calls for help from those they landed on. Before he could react one of the Voidbound Hels landed on his own shoulder, stealing the breath from his lungs and the sending a wave of weakness through his knees. He reached up to punch the wretched bird, knocking it loose, and then activated his armor. Then he began gathering power for his Stormcall magic as the winds picked up and clouds began to form from the clear sky above him, stretching out for thirty feet. The Hels didn't seem deterred by the wind, unfortunately, though it made it much harder for them to land on new victims.
On the other side of the island, things were going... hmm. They could have been worse?
Talyson's slashes through the feather-filled air almost couldn't seem to miss, thanks to being able to aim high enough to not worry about hitting the people below. He connected with several birds, killing them and sending the Hels nearest into a squawking fury. Fury that was directed at the courier, who had had to leave his wheelbarrow bunker to launch his attack. He immediately found himself under assault as the birds dived at him, pecking and buffeting his head with their wings.
At least Flora 's invisibility ring protected her from detection from the birds this round so she didn't have to deal with their harassment after the initial volley. But whether it was the darkness, the small targets, or the distraction from the original attack, Flora 's daggers missed their marks completely. To make matters worse, one of her feathery daggers skimmed past Noah as the demigod dealt with his own problems, leaving a wound in its wake.
On the bright side, Noah was able to get his arrow off before he made the acquaintance of Flora's dagger. The bird who had been threatening him was reduced to ashes, and a second bird that had flown down behind it was caught as well, disappearing in an explosion of starlight and feathers that frightened several of its neighbors into retreat.
And still the birds swirled around the Torchers, though between those killed and the ones scared away the flock was down almost half of its original size.
The Voidbound Hels continue their assault on the people working on the Docks!
Noah hissed as around them the flock seemed to assault further. Even with bringing several down, they hd not scared off the main flock. The proximity of the birds were not causing the same danger to his lungs as they were before he killed two of them, but he still felt off. His eyes flicked around at those screaming and fighting their own hels, and he caught sight of Talyson. He wasn’t sure where Flora went, thus he moved closer to the courier.
Noah summoned his celestial bow as he moved again, turning and firing two more arrows at their voidbound assailants. When he had closed some distance between him and Talyson — enough distance for his next wave to affect the other Halovian — Noah ignited his most powerful magic in an attempt to both decimate the remaining hels and heal the citizens.
Noah moves closer to where Talyson is, and hopefully stays in range of a large number of NPCs. While he moves he uses his arrow magic again and finishes this round by igniting Divine Opposition.
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
Magic: Divine Opposition | Noah summons a celestial shield dome in a 60ft radius. Any allies within the shield receive Mastered Healing, and any enemies are damaged at an Mastered level. May be used 3x per thread with a two post cool down.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
Magic: Wise Hunter (FEAT) | Animals roll with disadvantage against Noah.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
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)
Tal's grin of triumph and catcall at the luckless birds who had made the acquaintance of his Dagger turned to dismay as the horrible Voidy bastards turned on him. He ducked and dodged the assault as best he could, waving his weapon at them to try and keep them at bay, but it was hard to focus on attacking when every time he tried he got smacked by a wing.
Noah showed up in the nick of time to lend a helping shield, and Tal gratefully dove towards the protection offered by the demigod. Coming up in a roll, he slashed upwards with his Dagger again to cut down more of the damned Hels as he pressed his back to his friend's. "Good timin'!" he called over his shoulder. "Hey, did y'see where Flora went?" He hoped she was okay!
Tal tries to get away from his personal flock of feathery vengeance and teams up with Noah to attack The Flock with his Dagger again!
Type: Grey | Style: Defensive | Level: Mastered
Rockhide Vest | An armoured vest flecked in black and white and lined with cool, fur-like material. This item blocks physical damage at Talyson's Mastered level. Requires a 2 post cool-down between uses.
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Special Delivery Dagger | A carefully crafted dagger veined with crimson markings, decorated with the foot of a blink hare. Upon making a stabbing motion in the air, the dagger may damage a target up to 30ft away from the user.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Honed by Nightmares | A curious silvery coating covers the Special Delivery Dagger. Causes extra physical damage at a Basic level.
"I'm still here, dummy." Flora chimed brightly somewhere near Talyson. Having not quite seen the path her daggers took on their recall, she didn't know an apology was owed to Noah, but hopefully he'd forgive her that.
Opting not to bother with projectiles against small fluttery targets, the Doubletake reached for yet another ring, only instead of twisting this one, she threw it toward the heart of the flocking birds. With a silent trill of appreciation for Safrin, the girl watched as a Tide Jaguar appeared amidst the birds aiming claws and teeth at their fluttery bodies.
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Signet Ring | A signet ring with the insignia of a Tide Jaguar When thrown, becomes a full-grown Tide Jaguar with the same HP as the user. The animal cannot do physical damage to others, and lasts 3 rounds or until it is killed. Can only be used once per thread.
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you
A lot of things happened very quickly at that point.
Tal succeeded in keeping the birds that had been attacking him at bay as they grew wary of his Dagger, but their distance made it that much harder for him to hit them in return. It was a stalemate for the courier at the moment, but not for much longer.
Flora's use of her Signet Ring had an immediate effect. As the Tide Jaguar appeared, snarling and slashing, the remaining Voidbound Hels rose from their victims and launched themselves at the big cat. They shrieked as they dove at it, scratching and pecking the celestial feline with focused aggression. Although the Doubletake remained invisible and therefor they couldn't see her to attack her, they also couldn't see her to avoid her. Several birds hit the Queen en route to the fray around the jaguar.
With all the Hels gathering neatly in one place, Noah's shield was able to decimate the flock on the landward side of the Docks. Starlight surged outwards, passing over the place the Jaguar was hidden beneath a blanket of white and grey wings, and as it expanded the Hels dropped from the sky, struck dead by Vi's power. Just as importantly, the shield healed most of the injured Torchers in the area, including Flora and Tal.
On the ocean side of the island, things had also finally taken a turn for the better. Hadama's storm had gathered enough energy for lightning to strike down around him in controlled flashes, killing several Voidbound Hels outright and battering the rest into retreat.
"Injured Torchers, see myself or Noah," the King called, after making sure that Flora and the rest were already healed. "Everyone else, rest. But we will not let these creatures further interrupt our trading. Our profits. Or our parties," he declared gravely, aiming for the heart of his people's priorities. A ragged cheer went up and soon a cart with several barrels of beer was pulled across the new bridge from Haulani, to much louder approval.
After a short while, as the moon began to sink towards the western horizon, Hadama clapped his hands together in a single sharp crack. "We still have some moonlight left," he rumbled encouragingly. "Let us make good use of it."
The foundations and cellars have been completed and the Flock of voidbound hels has been defeated! Time to get to sawing, hammering, and building up the rest of the structures of the new shops!
Okay, so next upgrade was going to be making her ring capable of making her intangible. Hitting the ground with a thud, the Doubletake took advantage of her invisibility by pulling the most immature and hostile face one could imagine. Scrubbing her hands on her cheeks to ward off tears before checking herself for any immediate injuries (or lingering feathers), she twisted the ring to bring herself back into the moment.
"Fuck those birds."
Rising and dusting herself off, Flora retrieved her signet ring, and blew a kiss to the jaguar, before putting it back on her finger and thus recalling the creature.
Not necessarily one for physical labour as such, the Doubletake swanned about, offering praise and appreciation to the NPCs while also fetching supplies and whatnot that their hamming and sawing needn't pause for even a moment.
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you
"Flora? Where are you-- oh!" Tal spared a frantic glance around when he heard the Doubletake's voice, but it was a few seconds before he remembered that she had an invisibility ring - the one she'd showed off at his item-testing day, in fact. Though 'showed off' was maybe more like 'grabbed shit and ran' but potaytoes, potahtoes.
Either way the panic soon receded as Noah's shield fucked up the horrible birds on one side of the island, and Hadama's storm cleared out the other, so Tal was able to take a deep breath and relax for a bit while healing was doled out alongside the beer.
Of course, they still had to finish the work they'd started. They'd spent half the night getting all the preparations in place so they could work without interruption - except those fucking hels - but now they could finally get down to the hammering and building part that he actually knew something about.
"Right, I'll start knockin' some frames t'gether if you get the siding on," he called to the nearest Torchers. Rolling up his sleeves, Tal dove in to apply his wood working skills to getting some shops put together with the crew of the block he was focusing on.
Tal shakes it off and gets to work building some more shops!
With birds decimated and the healing given out, Noah was able to once again focus on helping build. While Flora spent time running around and gathering supplies as needed, and using her charm to keep the citizens working with good spirits, Noah and Talyson were true Halovians down to the bone. Both of them worked hard, and though they were not working on the same project that fact was not lost on Noah. Even with Talyson finding himself in King's End, he couldn't shake his Halovian soul and Noah would hold on to that as hope for the courier to find his way home eventuall
Keeping that inside, Noah kept his nose to the grindstone and worked with a large group of men building subfloors and studding out walls.
Noah builds!
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)
They were into the final stretch now, as the moon began to settle to the west and the work continued by the light of stars and torches. As the walls were built up from the foundations the bones of the businesses that had previously flourished on the Docks rose once more, a testament to the resilience and determination of Torchline.
Or at least its mercantile spirit and dedication to trading even in the face of overwhelming disaster.
Flora worked her magic, greasing the wheels of progress with encouragement and supply runs whenever it looked like a group was about to run out of nails, screws, or wood. Thanks to her there was no danger of the work slowing down, and the NPCs were able to make steady progress to make up for the interruption of the birds.
Noah and Tal might not have been working side-by-side, but their Halovian work ethic was, if not infectious, at least inspiring to the Torchers they worked with. The locals launched into a friendly competition to try and get ahead of the two visitors, determined to not be outdone on their own home turf, if nothing else. They moved down the line, framing and studding up shops and buildings at a steady pace to a racket of hammering and sawing and good-natured insults at the teams across the street.
Hadama was not particularly skilled at building with wood or outside of the water in general, but he took his cue from Flora and used his strength to resupply the teams on the other side of the island, or to hold up heavy beams so they could be hammered into place.
"Just the finishing touches, now," he rumbled in satisfaction as the moonlight began to wane. He was racing the sunrise, but emerald eyes gleamed with appreciation of the challenge. "A final push, and then breakfast."
Last round!
Get those roofs shingled or thatched, or help put in the windows or doors!
Gods but this was exhausting. Only now did it occur to Flora that perhaps she should have channelled and asked Safrin to speed along the work. Well, next time, perhaps.
Stifling a yawn behind one of her hands, the Doubletake continued to sing words of encouragement to those who had stayed with them, working long into the evening hours. "After this I promise you'll have either a bed or a coffee spiked with something strong waiting for you, whatever you prefer."
Reaching for hardware, it was only once most of the heavy lifting was done that Flora set to work installing doorknobs and knockers, window handles and curtain rods. Heaving a heavy and weary sigh, the Doubletake finally reached for a broom to begin to sweep away the last remnants of debris.
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you
