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 read Talyson's opinion on his face and chuckled, "Would you rather I split my magic and attention between two instead of focusing on the dangerous one?" It takes some finagling, but they get the creatures into their proper pens. The mention of possible arson only makes the Wild Thunder grin, "Will do." He'd happily burn the infestation to the ground if given the chance.
The void tangleweed continued to enforce his wariness as it proved ever-aggressive and without self-preservation. Between the apparently loose spider and Tal's warning, the grim expression on Sah's face grew. He let out a low growl at the void weed without glancing at his companion, "I'll work on the cage. Keep writing, Errand Boy." Calling forth his telekinesis and creation magic, the Abandoned's brow furrowed in concentration.
He worked to create a secondary layer around the pen made of equally strong rebar and wood. If the weed broke out, it'd just face another wall if his pan worked. Although such a task could be completed by hand, telekinesis allowed for the barrier of distance should the weed break out as he was working.
~
Sah steps in to use his telekinesis and creation magic to enforce the cage with another layer of wood and rebar. (A pen around a pen basically)
Magic: Creation | When combined with Mastered Air, Mastered Earth, Mastered Water, and Mastered fire, can create 2 magical items per season (with admin approval). Without mastering the four elements, can create well-made complex machines, and an unlimited number of regular items per thread limited by endurance stat. Small items last their natural lifespan. Medium and large items degrade after a season. Complex machines (a telescope, music box, etc) must be created with the knowledge of the character (i.e., cannot create a machine you don't understand/wouldn't be able to build with relevant tools)
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
Telekinesis: Can move large objects.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
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)
You steal the air out of my lungs, you make me feel it
As the spider skittered through the opening and out into the open, everyone lost their ever loving shit. Ellyra's brows drew together and she barked at people around her to calm down because it was just a tiny spider. To say the woman didn't truly understand the weight of what could happen should the void-touched arachnid bite one of the many people gathered was almost an understatement. Instructed by Edmund, and as Thalassa came in with all of her commanding ways, Ellyra huffed but listened.
Staying put, the lioness counted the remaining spiders. There didn't seem to be many more lost, but none of them seemed intent on staying put.
Ellyra does as she is told and counts the spiders.
FORGIVE ME FOR THE DELAY.
Ellyra
Code blatantly stolen from the fantastical, wonderful Odd
Group 1 split up. While Maea had an easy if boring time of taking notes, herding snakes and using her fire magic to keep the braziers and lanterns lit, Thalassa was forced to dig to the roots of her captain's holler to make the panicked assistants listen. It took a lot of fast talking and coaxing, but eventually she was able to make them stop running around. Only then could a guard captain step in and usher them into the Spire until the refugee spider was dealt with. When Thalassa returned, Maea would hand the notes over so that the other Ancient could see what had been going on in her absence... which was a whole lot of nothing.
Over in the gentleman's club Group 2, things were calming down. With a combination of luck and experience, Sah worked with swift efficiency and soon the fence didn't budge no matter how hard the Void Tangleweed bashed into it. Talyson meanwhile was able to observe several interesting things about both the normal and infected Tangleweed. Unfortunately nothing happened that would help answer how the Void was spreading.
Speaking of spiders, in group 3 Edmund had a difficult time catching up to the Voidweaver. Its size did in no way slow it down, and the matter was made more difficult by the way it tried to rush the already panicked assistants. But finally, after leaving several patches of scorched grass on the ground, the spider failed to dodge and caught fire with a nasty crackling sound, and a scent that reminded strangely of... crab? But maybe that's just your imagination. It's getting closer to lunch time, after all. Ellyra's luck in counting the spiders within the enclosure was in no way better. Between the chaos around her and the chaos within the crate, she would have to start over several times before she accurately accounted for all the animals. In total, 16 spiders had been released, of which half had been Voidweavers and the other half Wine spiders. Yet, as she counted, she would discover that of the 15 remaining animals... only 5 Wine spiders could be spotted between them. How strange!
A bell chimed that marked the end of the time allotted for this experiment. Maea left her docile serpents to the care of a guard and called for the other group members to pay attention.
"Everyone! Can you tell me briefly what you have discovered? It's time to move on to the next experiment, but depending on your results I may have to change things around."
Round 6
Experiment 1 round 5 - Last one for this task!
Announce what you have discovered in your groups, if anything!
We're almost halfway, great job everyone! Hang in there and let's move on to the next stage.
It's just your shadow on the floor
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
His trust in his guildmaster was well-placed, it seemed. While chaos reigned over in spiderland, Edmund was eventually able to scorch the creepy little voidweaver out of existence so things could settle down once more.
Tal was just glad that their own void-touched critter hadn't busted out, and he huffed a reluctant nod at Sah. "Not bad, Jester," he grinned at his frenemy, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Looks like y've finally learned some tips about buildin' after watchin' me all these years. Learnin' slow's better'n not at all!"
He finished the last of his notes and then went to join the rest as Maea called them over, leaving both Tangleweeds to the guards. When she asked for reports he scowled down at the notebook in his hands and chewed his lip fiercely before deciding he'd rather get the public speaking over with sooner rather than later.
"Yeah, so, uh... Tangleweeds. Th'normal one was scared shitless - uh, twig... less? - of t'other one. It kept tryin' t'get as far away as it could. Like it knew somethin' was wrong with it. We kept 'em separated, though, an' th'void stuff never infected it that I could see. So it looks like it doesn't spread from just sharin' th'same air or bein' close," he reported, reaching up to rub fiercely at the back of his neck while he spoke, and keeping his eyes firmly glued down at his notebook. "He saw more o' th'voidweed while he was reinforcin' its pen," the courier added, ceding the floor to Sah to let the Wild Thunder finish their report.
Tal reports that the normal Tangleweed tried to get away from the infected one, but didn't seem to catch the void infection just by being near it/from the air around it. Then he punts the report on the infected Tangleweed over to Sah!
Sah scoffed at Talyson with twitching lips, "Careful there, Errand Boy. You almost sound proud." Truly, he was pleased with his own creation. However, if the void-touched creature continued, he had a feeling he'd need to add another layer to the perimeter eventually. The thing had no self-preservation.
It was time to report, and he silently listened as Tal started theirs. When it was his turn, the Abandoned stepped forward. "The infected one exhibited heightened aggression, even to the point of disregarding its own health and safety. It kept bashing into the pen walls to try and escape to the other weed's pen." The single-minded aggressiveness was concerning. Especially when the mode of infection was still uncertain but likely contact-based.
~
Sah reports that the Void Tangleweed appeared to be both stronger and far more aggressive than its uninfected brethren. He also notes that it seemed to be actively trying to get to the uninfected one.
It's almost embarrassing how many tries it takes to catch and burn the spider, but Edmund let out a long sigh when it finally fizzled away into embers. It's a relief in itself to know that his magic can harm a void-touched creature.
Still catching his breath, the young Ancient cleared his throat to give his report, "The Voidweavers are swift and difficult to catch. But they can still be killed with fire." The tips of his ears burned slightly at the failure of his group's containment. He turned to glance at Ellyra with a small smile and shrug, indicating that she could take over to report what she saw while he was chasing the escapee.
~
Edmund reports that the Voidweavers are very fast but can be killed with fire. He leaves the rest of the report to Ellyra.
You steal the air out of my lungs, you make me feel it
The natural stared at the spiders. Counted. Pursed her lips. Furrowed her brows. Shook her head. Counted again. Again. Again. Wait, was that another void spider? Start over. The sounds around her did not help her keep track of the spiders in the enclosure, and having to start over so many times, and the lack of confidence in her final count, started to turn the nurse's can-do attitude towards frustration.
"The spiders are spreading the void." Ellyra reported with shaky confidence. With having to recount as many times as she did, the lioness wasn't sure if the void was spreading as much as she was just not able to keep track. She crossed her arms as she stood next to Edmund, looking between the gathered group and their spider enclosure.
Ellyra says she thinks the void is spreading between the spiders!
Ellyra
Code blatantly stolen from the fantastical, wonderful Odd
Once the Voidweaver had been incinerated, she nodded proudly at the somewhat organized attendants and walked back to her enclosure. Thal glanced at the notes Maea handed her in a split second. Just as she'd suspected, not a single word was required to sum up the abundance of nothingness that had occurred during her little excursion to help the spider other group. To hear that the Void had already spread amongst them brought a deathly still calm to her mind. Suddenly, the experiment felt more real and threatening. Thal's senses were piqued along with her interest. Her body became tense with practiced preparation for danger.
When her turn arrived, she looked to the others and found that no funny words would soften the grave realization that their fears were being validated. So she waved her hand dismissably, saying, "There was no evidence of Void before, during, or after our session. Let's continue." Her blue eyes were glued to Maea in expectance for the coming challenges and what they may discover.
Thalassa reports nothing of importance for the enclosure containing Hanging Snakes and sweetgrass.
Jotting down hasty notes on a scrap of paper as the groups reported one after one, Maea's head came up with sudden alertness when Ellyra spoke up. "Really? That's incredible, great job noticing that!" A murmur of mingled worry and interest passed among the guards and the assistants that had begun to come back out now that the coast was clear. Thinking fast, Maea swept her gaze over the groups, the animals they had been handling and the infrastructure already in place; then she made a decision, nodded and waved for the others to come closer.
"Alright, then what we need do next is confirm what Ellyra discovered. Since we have enough spiders for everyone, let's use those; find a crate and pick out either a Hanging Snake or a Sweetgrass plant from Group One, and put them together with a spider. I want everyone of us to pay attention and see if we can figure out exactly how the spread occurs. Once we know that, there's something else I want to try and figure out.
"Got it? Then let's get started."
A nod at the assistants sent them scurrying for a selection of crates for the participants to make use of. This time Maea made sure to send them off before the experiment began, and soon there was only herself and the test group left, with the guards standing by in case any more escape attempts were made.
Round 7
Experiment 2 - will span 4 rounds.
Pick a crate, catch a Voidweaver Spider and put either a Hanging Snake or a Sweetgrass plant together with it, and observe!
It's just your shadow on the floor
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
"Hey, I've got good reason t'be proud," Tal pointed out to Sah, wicked grin still in place. "Clearly I'm a great teacher!"
But before the teasing could go any farther the group was called to report on their findings and Tal's grin slipped away like mist in the morning light.
Or maybe more like sunshine being devoured by storm clouds.
Especially when Ellyra gave her decidedly unsettling report and the courier nodded grimly. It made the most sense, but it still wasn't good to have it confirmed that the void spread by direct contact, one way or another. Listening to Maea's directions, the old scowl returned to his face and he crossed his arms over his chest, tense and unhappy with the direction the experiment was taking, but he couldn't argue with the logic of it. With obvious reluctance he stepped forward to pick a medium sized crate and, after a moment of hesitation, a wriggly Hanging Snake. With the easy part sorted out he dragged his feet over to where the Voidweaver spiders scuttled and hissed, lunging after their uninfected counterparts.
"Okay, this seems... real not-great," he muttered, but he swallowed hard and pulled on one of the heavy work gloves that had been provided before sticking his hand into the enclosure. Sure enough, a Voidweaver swerved to pounce on it, its fangs sliding harmlessly off the hardened leather. Tal got his hand around it and shoved it into the crate with more force than was technically necessary, jerking his hand out and slamming the lid down before it could regain its senses.
Then he settled down to watch and wait, glaring daggers at the spider as if daring it to make a move on the hanging snake.
Tal grabs a crate and a Hanging Snake before retrieving a Voidweaver Spider and shoving it with extreme prejudice into the crate.
Nodding at Maea's instructions, Thal considered her options. She had little desire to deal with the clingy snakes again and opted to use the sweetgrass for her individual assessment. It seemed unwise to attempt adding the grass after the spider, so she grabbed the plant first and placed it in a crate. A quick scan of the exterior lessened her concern that there were any holes the soon-to-be-resident spider could escape from.
The next part made her the most nervous as she cautiously approached the spider enclosure. There didn't seem to be any clear strategies to capturing one of the creatures without releasing more, catching too many, or getting bit. Being fairly certain that the last outcome was her least favorite, Thal double-checked that none of her skin was exposed before pulling out her dagger. She placed the crate sideways, with the lid opening up, in the enclosure and attempted to use the handle of the blade to shove the creature into her box, intending to let the lid fall closed the moment it was contained inside. Thal watched closely, barely blinking in order not to miss a single second of what may occur.
Thalassa chooses sweetgrass and plans to use the dagger (handle side) to push the spider into her crate before letting the lid fall closed.
Sah had suspected that direct contact might be a way of transmission, but it was unnerving that it happened so quickly. The next experiment began, and the Wild Thunder scowled. This felt deeply wrong and inhumane. It was necessary to confirm the mode of infection, but it still made his stomach turn.
Grabbing sweetgrass, Sah placed it in a pen. Snarling at a void weaver, he used his telekinesis to roughly pick it up and place it in the pen before locking it. Lightning sparked along his skin, ready to strike at a moment's notice. He watched with a grim expression to see what would happen.
~
Sah chooses sweetgrass and uses his telekinesis to catch and move the spider.
Guilt wracked Edmund as he eyed the snakes. He knew he should grab one to even out the ratios, but the idea of harming the serpent turned his stomach. But for the sake of the experiment, he steeled himself. Gently picking up a snake, he put it down into a crate and whispered, "I'm sorry."
With an audible snarl, he focused on the voidweavers and trapped one in a vial, holding fire in the front to scare it. "Behave yourself."With a resigned sigh, he let it into the crate and stood back to watch, fire still flickering on his palm.
~
Edmund gets a hanging snake and puts it in a crate before scaring a voidweaver with fire as he puts in in the crate.
You steal the air out of my lungs, you make me feel it
Ellyra stuck pretty close to Edmund, having worked with him the last round. Even though this round did not necessitate partnerships like the last one, it still felt more comfortable to be with someone than without. Perhaps they could help each other take notes and watch, too. So, because Ed chose a snake, Ellyra went for the other choice.
Settled in with her spider, Ellyra quickly stuck in the chunk of sweetgrass (dirt clod and all) without opening the door too much. She had seen the spiders' speed firsthand and wasn't about to challenge it. She could feel her lioness sitting on her chest, waiting for a moment to strike and protect herself, even against such small creatures.
And then, she watched.
She chooses Sweetgrass.
Ellyra
Code blatantly stolen from the fantastical, wonderful Odd
