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!
Somebody ought to corrupt me on the dance floor And take me home
Jude has visited more shrines in his youth than he has as a young adult, and it had not made deciding who to visit any easier. His family is scattered throughout various heralds in terms of allegiance, with varying degrees of happiness. But Jude had chosen to stay in Torchline, chosen to be better than all of his parents who couldn't seem to stick to a single decision, to stay. So maybe the decision hadn't been difficult at all.
Offerings are still new to Jude, so he brings jewelry just to be safe. Simple earrings - because he couldn't afford much more in trade - that are shaped like stars and glitter in a similar, silvery fashion. He brings a slim candle with him, a scent like seafoam and night air that had made him think of Safrin. Lighting it, he keeps the earrings in his hands as he sits on the edge of the pillar the lighthouse light is built into, bowing his head in prayer. "Safrin? Are you there?" He had last heard that she had been hurt somehow, so it feels particularly selfish to call upon her, but how else is he to know whether she has healed at all? "I hope you're feeling better. I didn't know what to bring aside from what might make you happy." What even heals a herald? Jude certainly has no clue.
- - -
Jude is turning in his level 3 reward! Receive a custom item-quest from a god. He'd like a necklace that can create sonic screams a la Black Canary.
Show my all my desires and dark sides And pretend by night's end you won't leave me alone
Was Safrin perhaps a little smug that the child of one of Frey's demigods was at her shrine? Did the thought of it put a bit more colour in her cheeks that might otherwise not have been there, given all she'd been through?
"Knowing that you were thinking of me makes me happy." Safrin purrs softly, and where the seafoam on the shoreline has been built up from the relentless movement of the waves, the goddess appears. Though she doesn't shine as brightly as she had on the few occasions Jude would have seen her as a boy, she's nevertheless the epitome of dark elegance and grace as she steps toward him.
02-22-2024, 10:58 PM (This post was last modified: 02-22-2024, 10:59 PM by Jude.)
Jude
Somebody ought to corrupt me on the dance floor And take me home
Jude remembers her vividly from his childhood, even as ephemeral and formless as those memories might be. Though she shines a little less, her presence is magnetic. He rises without thinking of it, drawn taller in her presence as she moves toward him.
"I'm glad," he admits, cheeks pink as he holds out the earrings in his palms, privately hopeful that she will take them and bless him with her touch. "I don't want to put down my family to make myself seem better but um...I'm glad I stayed. I'm happy to be here, in your region." In your presence. Jude clears his throat slightly, grasping for bravery. "I...I don't have much to offer you. But I was always told you valued loyalty most of all - and I think I get why, now." Something shadowy and sharp that fits a little too well on his young face filters over sharp cheeks and bright eyes. So much abandonment, and for what? The guise of peace through isolation?
"I want something to elevate my voice. To sing and share word of you, but also to protect me." To take his voice from a room-filling sound to a devastating, dismantling scream at his whim. To weaponize the one thing Jude has never used for himself. "If you would give me a quest, I would prove myself to you. I promise." If she will only give him a chance to atone for the sins of his parents. It may not be of much use to the region, or to her, but Jude isn't sure he can do much for her with where he stands now.
Show my all my desires and dark sides And pretend by night's end you won't leave me alone
Eyes widening, Safrin reaches out to pluck the earrings from Jude's palm. "These are beautiful!" Had the boy's mother not been who she was (or rather, aligned as she was), Safrin might have suggested he gift them to her instead, such were their loveliness. Instead, she rolled them between her fingers, letting the star points glisten. "Darling one, you never need to bring anything to me. Just seeing you will ever be enough." It's a lie as much as it's the gospel truth, and therein lays the conflict for all of Safrin's followers save for those who truly understand the heart of her.
Listening to his request, Safrin nods thoughtfully as he explains the reasoning behind such a gift. "A truly ingenious idea. What use is a silver tongue if your voice is never heard? But first, perhaps a bit of practice is in order?"
Jude has been given a quest! He must
1. Use his words to help
2. Use his words to hurt
3. Use a lie to help
4. Complete a thread with someone else where he doesn't speak to understand the value of having a voice.
Somebody ought to corrupt me on the dance floor And take me home
The warmth in his cheeks only deepens at her praise, standing a little straighter in her illuminating presence. It's a lie, but a sweet one, and Jude's parents had raised him well on Safrin's teachings - enough to have him gently folding her fingers down around the earrings as if to emphasize that they're entirely meant for her. "You deserve them - and more - after everything you did for us," he assures, because even if she had not won against the threat the noticeboards had been advertising, she'd come back alive.
An attentive pupil, Jude leans into her gravity and memorizes each word, scarcely blinking as he looks up into her beautiful face radiating something both maternal and beyond his mortal comprehension. "I promise I'll do my best," he vows, because he can't promise he'll make her proud, but at least he will return successful. He'll make sure of it.
- Fin!
Show my all my desires and dark sides And pretend by night's end you won't leave me alone
