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!
04-06-2024, 05:49 AM (This post was last modified: 04-06-2024, 08:30 PM by Talyson.)
Build a road, the Archon had said.
All major trading took place at the Boondocks, so he figured that was the best place to start. He'd put up the notice in King's End, of course, but he'd pinned requests for help up in most of the other civilized regions on his last courier run around the islands - minus Stormbreak, for now. Not after that last brainblast broadcast.
He shuddered just to think of it, and his fear for Sohalia's fate had grown exponentially.
But today he had to focus! A number of locals had turned up, including some Abandoned with Upgraded Earth manipulation, and Tal had gathered shovels, heavy metal rakes, and lengths of pipes for the Mourn-end. He waited a bit longer to see if anyone else would come, nodding to those he recognized before he finally took a deep breath and launched into his spiel.
"So, th'Archon's gonna be buildin' up a proper town here for folks soon, an' they're gonna need t'move a lot o' stuff from here on inland. T'make it easier, we're gonna be makin' a road, from here t'Mourn. Might take a week or so, maybe less if we don't run into too many problems. We're gonna need two groups. Some people t'survey th'route, makin' sure we're takin' th'most efficient path, an' not goin' over steep hills or valleys if we can help it. Mark as y'go with these white stakes, an' th'folks back here can start th'first section at th'docks," he explained. "Send word back if we're gonna need t'build a bridge or somethin' complicated up ahead." He really, really hoped that wouldn't be necessary in the relatively flat Boondocks. "An' a second, bigger group'll start diggin' along that path. Any questions?"
This is a PQ to build a road in King's End to make it easier to transport goods, materials, and people inland! Please post your character arriving and choosing a group to join. **Survey positions have been filled!
1. Talyson (Digger)
2. Zavien (Surveyer)
3. Hawthorn (Surveyer)
4.
-- more available if needed!
During his exploration to find ways to quietly resist the new ruler of Stormbreak, Zavien had come across a Notice requesting help building a road. Although he had no skills, other than strength, that would assist in the construction, he hoped that his extra set of hands might be useful. The food offered may have also been a deciding factor. As he made his way through the overgrown grasses to the meetup location, he hoisted his travel bag over a shoulder. The sweat on his brow was evident of his long journey, but his spirits remained high.
He made it just in time to hear the speech from who he assumed to be "T. Seawright." The sun rising behind him gave him an air of authority that Zavien immediately respected and he nodded along with the provided information. A week shouldn't be too bad. It would be worth it in the end for the expedited travel.
When the speaker opened it up for questions, Zavien simply glanced around before wading through the people to the front. He gave a large friendly smile and raised his hand. "The name's Zavien. I am willing to scout the way ahead. I have a good set of eyes and an abundance of energy. Some might say, 'Too much energy.'" His grin widened as he thought of his mother's exasperated sighs growing up. Zavien was more than happy to forge the way ahead and assess for obstacles or danger using his endless supply of enthusiasm.
Zavien is claiming the role of Surveyer.
He carries with him his sword and a travel bag containing campsite gear, food, and a first aid kit.
Keep your face to the sunshine, And you cannot see a shadow.
Admittedly, Thorn is also not a digger, but it isn’t that surprising given his lanky physical body. He does arrive more put together than the courtesan usually looked – no flowing clothes this time, but tight fitting, still revealing in the cut outs on the sides, but tight to his chest to keep most of the chill out while also being smart in not too loose that it might get caught in something.
A nod is given toward Tal as he arrives, standing beside a tall stranger, one that he cuts a sharp and amused grin to. “I’ve also been told I have too much energy.” Waggling his brows playfully, the courtesan turns his head back toward Talyson with a crooked smile. “I’ll survey.” He decides – though that had been his intention as the roles had been laid out. He wasn’t meant to be digging, but scouting and keeping relatively clean of manual labor? Count him in.
Tal nodded back at Hawthorn, a flicker of a tentative smile breaking through his attempts at being Stern and Leaderly at seeing the graceful beauty join the undertaking. He didn't know Zavien, but as people broke away to grab tools and supplies from the piles, Tal hopped down and headed over to offer his hand. "Thanks for comin' out, Zavien. I'm Tal, an' this is Hawthorn," he added as the courtesan joined them. "He knows his way around King's End, so stick with him an' y'won't get lost." His grin kicked up a notch as he grabbed a nearby bag of the white stakes to mark the path and handed them over. "We'll start out with puttin' some rocks down here by th'docks, t'stabilize th'ground an' let you guys get a head start. Try t'keep th'route as short an' flat as y'can, but if y'run into somethin' that'll be too hard to go through, well, we'll just have t'go around it." He shrugged at the prospect, too much of a pessimist to assume it would all be easy. "Use your best judgment. We'll be followin' behind you as quick as we can!"
With that, he headed over to the digging team comprised of various citizens and other NPCs to grab a shovel. One team was digging down several inches before a crew followed behind with sand and gravel to pack down into the new road bed. Behind them was a third group ready to place large, flattish paving stones down, creating a sturdy roadway for carts and heavy loads coming off the ships at the Exchange.
The survey team had a choice to make: to head West towards the Queen's Gambit first, or to head Northwest towards the Dreaming Well. The western path looked flatter, but also potentially swampier, while the northwest route was drier but hillier.
Round 1!
Building Team is making a sturdy start to the road while the survey team works ahead!
Survey Team needs to decide what direction to go, and decide how to deal with the difficulties in the terrain, depending on which direction they choose. Go around, over, or through? Or come up with your own solution!
Zavien chuckled at Hawthorn's inuendo and assessed the man. He could recognize why he may have leaned towards the Surveyer role as well. The bright eyes and vine tattoos gave him a striking appearance that Zavien had no doubt attracted others, but his lack of muscular bulk didn't suggest an innate ability to build roads. It sounded like they would be spending plenty of time together in the next few days. At least they probably wouldn't get lost.
Considering the options Talyson laid before them, Zavien looked to Hawthorn. "I'm not sure what your thoughts are on the choices, but if we're building a road to make travel easier, we may as well choose the more difficult route." Pointing in the direction of the Queen's Gambit to the west, he smiled at the potential challenge. "If we go west, it will create a more solid path for people to use, decreasing the risk of getting stuck in the swampy terrain. The only con is that it will take more time and effort to shore up the earth to keep the road from collapsing. You up for it?" It would probably involve a lot of mud and water, but the adventure would be unforgettable. He wanted to jump in excitement for their escapade through the land.
Zavien suggests taking the west route towards Queen's Gambit!
Keep your face to the sunshine, And you cannot see a shadow.
Receiving Zavien’s laugh, Thorn flashes a bright grin in response. He’s content to let Tal introduce them, though there is an amused little twist of his lips as the Messenger seems to talk him up. “You’re real kind today, Tal.” He teases, letting a chime of a laugh leave his lips before he nods toward the path they’re to take.
Given Tal’s instructions, Thorn peers between the two choices. In theory, one toward the Well would do well, given that the House of Midnight isn’t far behind, but he’s reminded that it’s a path already starting to get worn in. And who’s to say they can’t wrap around it and return to connect it later?
Nodding and flashing a grin toward Zavien as he asks whether he’s up to it, the courtesan presses a hand to his chest in a flare of dramatics. “’Course I’m up for it.” He says playfully before he peers down the pathway again. “Not many visitors to Queen’s Gambit these days, truthfully.” He shrugs lightly, before he whistles to gain attention, pointing toward the direction they’re intending to go, just in case the wind blows down the stakes they put down.
And then the courtesan starts to plant the stakes in the direction that he and Zavien head toward.
Thorn agrees with Zavien and picks the west route!
"Yeah, well, I'm real grateful y'ca--uh, showed up today," Tal grinned back at Hawthorn, catching himself before he could say anything that would lead to even more teasing, even if it was a tad too late to pretend he hadn't almost slipped up.
Waving the other two men off on their scouting trip, the courier rolled up his sleeves and harnessed his dragon up so they could work as a team to haul the bigger, heavier paving stones into position above the base that the others had begun. The road wouldn't be quite this nice the whole way through King's End - not yet, at least - but it made for a solidly constructed section for wagons to collect the goods unloaded from ships that made port at the Boondocks and Castaway Exchange. Since it was a smaller area the gathered crews were able to work swiftly and make good progress.
So it was a good thing that the scouting team made their initial decision and started out as quickly as they did!
The ground was soft beneath their feet, thick with grass and wetland plants. Some particularly marshy areas were easy to spot by the stands of cattails poking up at their margins, but others were more difficult to see until it was far too late. Zavien had a knack for finding the high ground as they traveled, and the markers that he placed remained upright and poking above the grass so the road crew far behind them could clearly see the path they needed to take. Some enterprising individuals were even following far back in the distance, mowing down a broad swathe of the grass with scythes in preparation for the digging team.
Hawthorn wasn't quite as lucky, however. His boots squelched deeply into muddy holes hidden by broad-leaved plants. As if to add insult to injury, the local insects seemed to find him just as irresistible as his human customers and they ignored Zavien in favor of swarming the courtesan instead, creating an annoying buzzing cloud around him even when they weren't stealing bites of his tasty blood.
It was Hawthorn who discovered when their western path reached a boggy area that was too wide to go easily around. It was unfortunate that he found it by sinking into it up to his knees. The long grasses fluttered in the breeze, greens fading to golds and yellows in the Leafchange sunlight and making the obstacle particularly hard to navigate as they hid the shallow waters and deep mud beneath their golden crowns.
Digging Team has made good progress on the road head and is ready to start extending the road along the path that the scouts have marked!
Scouting Team has had mixed results. Zavien had been able to find a path for the road to follow up until now, but Hawthorn has stumbled (literally) into a bog that will be particularly difficult for a road to go through or around.
Do you
1. push through it anyways (might find a path through it, or may get stuck and lose a round)
2. backtrack and try to find a path around it (will definitely lose a round, but will probably find a better route)
3. come up with your own solution! (bonuses to rolls given for creativity)
Zavien looked with pity upon Hawthorn as the insects seemed to flock to him. With the obnoxious buzzing, he had no difficulty keeping track of the Surveyer. Maybe it was his scent? Zavien often found that he smelled of dirt, sweat, and leather. Therefore, he had no doubt that the other man was much more appetizing to their senses. Hopefully they would be able to clear the mucky marshes swiftly to give him a reprieve. If not, he might have to offer his jacket to protect his partner.
As they trekked through the softening earth, uncertainty in their decision was prickling at his mind. Pausing to assess the land, Zavien considered their options. Turning back defeated the purpose of choosing the swampy lands. They knew the difficulties when they made their choice. However, blazing forward would only be asking for more trouble. They had to come up with another plan of action. Looking to the cattails and the other foliage, an idea began to form.
"Hey, Hawthorn! Use the foliage as guidance!" He pointed to a large tree nearby. "If they have bigger roots, they should have more solid ground." When he glanced ahead, he noticed a patch without larger plants and picked up a moderate-sized stone. "If you're unsure, use a stone." The stone left his hand and landed in the soft mud with a plunk, already starting to sink. He gave Hawthorn a satisfied grin.
Taking a step forward, he pulled a stake from his pouch, snapping it in half. After ripping a cattail from the mud nearby, he wrapped and tied the end to his shortened stake before shoving it in the soft dirt near the stone. "We can use cattails on snapped stakes to warn the workers of ground to avoid." Hopefully the fluffy plant and shortened wood would be sufficient to let them know what areas were unsafe for roadwork.
By using clues and resources from their surroundings (cattails and rocks), Zavien suggests they find a safe path forward by checking the path with rocks and marking the unsafe parts with clearly altered stakes.
Keep your face to the sunshine, And you cannot see a shadow.
"Fuckin' hell!" This is certainly not how the courtesan wanted the day to go. Especially a the insects start to flit and obsess over him. So much so that he utilizes his wind magic to try and create a gust to push them away – which of course distracts him enough that he doesn’t notice the muddy holes, sinking into the mud. Grimacing, he can hear Zavien’s comment calling out to him, and he looks up toward the tree – but it meant he needed to get out of here first. The stone plunks next to him and he uses his telekinesis to bring it closer and prevent it from sinking so that he can utilize it.
It’s a mixture of a few things that gets the courtesan out of the mud and grumpily batting away the mosquitoes, trying to brush away some of the dirt that only seems to coat him more like war paint at this point. “Gods. Okay. Let’s see.” He says with an exhale that almost seems defeated, he grabs a stone and tosses it toward the bottom of a tree to see it not start to immediately sink, and he starts to maneuver that way, following Zavien’s advice with the snapped stakes and cattails, while trying to make that path through the more stable parts of the earth.
Hawthorn pulls himself out of the mud and bats at the mosquitoes (magic included) and follows Zavien’s advice with utilizing stones and altered stakes to find a more stable path through the bog!
Zavien was smarter than he was lucky, and it was a good thing! If he'd relied on luck alone, he would have ended up as deep in the bog as Hawthorn had. Instead he only had to combat the insects that finally discovered the tasty new treat that had wandered into their territory, but his plan of seeking out trees to guide them to higher, drier ground paid off handsomely. Though they were slowed by the terrain, he was able to find a safe path through the worst of it with Hawthorn's help.
Hawthorn 's air magic might have been minor, but for battling insects it was more than sufficient. Though there was nothing to be done about the mud that still clung to him once he'd pulled himself out of it, at least he wasn't being eaten alive anymore? And without that distraction - and now that he knew what to look out for - his natural grace and lightness of step kept him from repeating his initial mistake. He was able to help Zavien find a path broad enough to support the road while setting up markers to prevent the crews behind them from suffering the same fate that he had initially.
Luckily the wetland area was long but not terribly wide. After a little more than half a mile the ground rose gradually back to the more usual dry grasslands of King's End and the trees fell away behind them. The plain stretched out ahead of them, featureless and flat except for the Barrows and the Draig behind them to the west.
Tal and the diggers, meanwhile, started in on the path marked by the scouts. They used oxen pulling troughs to loosen and dredge two broad, shallow trenches on either side of the road that the scouts had marked and used the dirt to pile onto the road bed, raising it a few inches above the surrounding ground. large rocks and rubble were mixed in at intervals to help firm the soil, and a team following behind used a combination of larger stones and long planks to shore up the road's edges and keep them from eroding back into the ditches. The work was a lot slower than the scouts, but the team was a lot larger, and made it halfway to the bog before the setting sun called a halt to the work for the day. The scouts were called back and the promised food was provided, and tents were set up for those who didn't have the means to leave and return swiftly.
The next day saw the digging team back at work bright and early after a hearty campfire breakfast. As the scouts returned to where they had left off - navigating the bog far more swiftly now that they'd marked a safe trail - they found the featureless meadow boring but far easier going. Low-lying clouds hid the mounds and peaks to the west and rain was visible far to the south, though none fell on the incipient road.
A storm didn't need to be directly overhead to cause problems, however.
After several hours of uneventful marking of the path, the smell of smoke would become evident on the rising wind out of the south, and the clouds that hung over the land in that direction had taken on a roiling blackness underlit with a strange reddish tinge. Hawthorn might recognize the signs of a grassland wildfire burning towards them, brief but fierce as it raced across the dry and eminently flammable grasses!
Zavien's cleverness offsets his unlucky roll and Hawthorn succeeds in freeing himself of the mud and ridding himself of the insects. On day one the scouting team successfully finds a safe route through the bog, and the digging team makes good progress in building a simple raised dirt-and-gravel road across the meadows!
Day two brings new dangers as the scouts are caught in an unprotected grassland with a lightning-struck wildfire racing towards them!
There was a sense of pride in seeing his idea come to light as the crew trekked determinedly through the marshy wetland. Although the new attention from the insects was definitely annoying, Zavien still found himself grinning with satisfaction as they continued laying their stakes. As they finished their work for the day, rested through the night, and began again in the morning, his mood remained bright. Not even the distant storm clouded his thoughts. Only the growing black smoke and its orange hue served to dampen his optimism.
Zavien looked to Hawthorn across the field for confirmation, but he was concerned that the storm may have caused a fire. Their exposure in the middle of the grasslands was not a good position. If it was a wildfire, it would eat up the ground in a matter of hours. They would be unable to escape the smoke or burning flames. It was imperative that they make a choice now on how to proceed.
Running casually over to Hawthorn (not wanting to alarm the others), he asked in a hushed voice, "Is it really a fire?" He was fairly certain it was, but was hoping that Hawthorn might cast away his fears. Knowing that it was unlikely, he started brainstorming. "What should we do? There aren't really any places to hide. Could we make a barrier of some kind with dirt or stones? Or find a river? Maybe we can cut away enough grass to keep it contained? It'll be too big to put out on our own. We have to find a way to protect everyone." His usually bright face was dark with worry. He would do whatever necessary to protect the others, but he didn't have any grand abilities or skills to help in this area. Frustration at his weakness, Zavien prepared to assist in whatever plan Hawthorn chose for them to pursue.
Zavien gives a few ideas and prepares to help with whatever plan Hawthorn chooses!
Keep your face to the sunshine, And you cannot see a shadow.
The second that smoke wafts toward the courtesan, he seems to shoot straight up as if trying to peer through the grasses and the mounds, trying to determine where exactly it’s coming from. Either way, he knows that it’s too close if he can smell it so strongly, and his seafoam gaze immediately flits over to look for Zavien shortly after.
Their eyes meet and as Zavien runs over to meet him, Thorn is nodding and immediately backtracking for a moment, reaching out to tug the Accepted with him should he come with. “Yeah, s’a real fire!” He confirms vocally, gritting his teeth as he tries to think and think. He has no magic to combat this, but he does have some amount of wits, enough to hopefully make it work out.
His green gaze squints before he looks back toward the dig team behind them still back at the bog. “We can try and wet the grasses enough that they won’t catch.” He looks back toward the bog and the swampiness that had sunk him in mud the day previously. “Or! Wait!” He pauses, stepping over to collect the dirt with his hands and promptly moving back to start spreading it across the grasses where they intend to build the road as they’ve scouted – hoping that by flattening it enough with the mud that it’ll be a distance far enough to stop the fire in its tracks. He gestures for Zavien to do the same. “Pack the grasses down with mud and we can make a barrier it won’t cross?” Dirt didn’t burn, right? Unless it was mixed with other things.
Hawthorn suggests creating a barrier using mud from the bog/swamp area to flatten the grasses and keep the wildfire from spreading completely across!
Shaking things up a bit, this time the round starts with Tal and the digging crew. Although they spent the morning making good progress to the edge of the bog, it was no surprise that once they reached it the work slowed considerably. They couldn't dig drainage ditches through the bog, but that also meant that they didn't have an easy source of soil and rocks to build the road up with - and in the swampy terrain, they needed to build it a good deal higher than in the meadows. The bugs created more delays and Tal in particular seemed to draw his own personal cloud of the biting vermin that had him constantly swearing and slapping to keep them at bay. He handed his shovel off and retreated back to the meadow behind them to help haul the carts of dirt being dug up there, dragging one along the growing road and dumping it before heading back to swap out for the next readied cart. "Maybe we can shore up th'sides with boards like we've been doin', but use posts t'help hold th'planks in place?" he called over to the engineer who was leading the construction efforts.
The good news was that the digging crew was a long ways behind the scouts; a couple of hours of slow travel currently separated the two groups and the much larger crew of NPCs weren't in danger from the fire. The scouts were on their own, but they had ingenuity on their side and a lucky roll from Hawthorn! Zavien had several good ideas, but they all would take too much time to complete before the fire was upon them. Hawthorn, however, moved straight to action and found a nearby river swollen from the Leafchange storms. There was plenty of mud to grab and use for protection, but as the clouds of dark smoke grew to cover the horizon and the red flickers of the flames closed in they would have to work fast, and come up with an idea for dealing with the smoke when the fire rolled past - or over - them!
Round 4:
Progress continues! ...but the Digging Team has definitely become bogged down building through the bog. Luckily they aren't near the fireline, and the bog itself is in no danger.
Several hours away, Hawthorn and Zavien have a plan to protect themselves but will need to implement it quickly to avoid being burned! And the fire isn't the only danger to contend with: they'll also need to protect themselves from the smoke for a short time as the prairie fire line burns quick but hot on its way north!
Nodding to Hawthorn, he got to work, placing handfuls of mud from the nearby river into a barrier around them. The wet earth squelched beneath his feet and caked his clothes, covering his entire body with splotches of plastered dirt. It slowly began to widen into a substantial wall of protection for the two Surveyors, but the smoke started eliciting a cough from his lungs, slowing his work.
Pausing momentarily to wipe the irritation from his eyes, Zavien glanced around for Hawthorn. "I think we need to consider the smoke. Let's put a damp cloth over our mouths. That should help a little." As he soaked a torn strip of his jacket, he glanced at the rapidly approaching flames. Concern clouded his expression, but glancing at the safe digging crew, he smiled. At least everyone else was safe. They just needed to weather the wildfire. He placed the cloth around his face, tying it in the back to secure it. Standing so close to the water, he considered their situation. "Perhaps we should stand in the river to be safe?" The mud should hold up, however, Zavien always preferred to have a backup plan.
Zavien ties a wet cloth to his mouth, protecting him from the smoke, and suggests standing in the river to add an extra layer of protection.
Keep your face to the sunshine, And you cannot see a shadow.
