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!
02-18-2024, 08:17 PM (This post was last modified: 02-18-2024, 08:17 PM by Kore.)
I will never fit in
The rhythmic echo of shoes against hard stone was the only sound to accompany Kore as she made her way up Apopo. There was only the occasional sound of birds to break the silence. In this moment, she felt miles away from anyone else, and the woman felt like that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Isolation could be productive when handled right, and for now Kore needed to be productive. She needed to focus and find a supply for her coming needs. Once upon a time she could use the old man for any of her metal needs, but she couldn't depend on him when she opened her forge. No… it was time for her to find her own way in the world.
"Come on, Lomares. Push it, can't run a forge without metal…"
Step after step, she moved higher up the dormant volcano. Away from the brush and to a more rocky area.
This was probably going to be her best bet, so Kore fell to her knees and got to work examining the rubble. Hopefully there was some surface level minerals that she could use to judge quality, she needed to find something usable for there to be any hope of continuing with her dream.
When opportunities arose amidst his multitudes of other duties, Deimos hunted; not for meat, but for the creatures of the void. Promises expressed and convictions rendered in not only guildmaster prowess, but abiding the need of Torchline itself, the Sword shared the responsibility of mauling the creatures when and where he could. Snagging and gaining information from the actions was just another motive along his steeled machinations.
He and Belial had been following the flock of void Hels (altogether different from their counterparts), and this bout seemed determined to press their wake away from the beach, and over towards the more volcanic region. While it didn’t bother his companion, it gave Deimos pause, and enough justification to persist and pursue.
Only thereafter, rising over the crest of the ashen hills, did he realize what their intentions had been – a woman down below, searching through rubble. With a heavy, but practically unheard sigh from the eagle, he and the flying deer became an unrelenting force from above. Belial had learned, at some point, to remain silent in his vigilance, immediately snatching at the disturbing creatures with his vicious jaws, but the birds wouldn’t be quiet – cawing and seeking out their brethren. Surely the stranger would hear the sudden bout of shrieking.
Which didn’t bother either peryton nor Warden, not with outstretched talons, clutching one void cretin’s neck and listening to the audible snap.
In the old man's forge, over 10 Deepfrosts ago, Kore had pictured becoming a blacksmith as some grand adventure. She saw herself in some beautiful forge in the climb, experimenting with mineral combinations as she waited for adventurers to make the trip to her home to make requests.
She could never have anticipated her dream career involving crawling around in the wilderness, cold stone hurting her knees as she cracked any stones she could get her hands on with a chisel. Each time she prayed for good material, something usable. Each time it was simply stone…
Just as she was starting to lose hope in her location, she cracked a stone and saw a sliver of reddish colour. Copper… She had come across a vein of copper, that was a miracle.
Though before the woman could properly enjoy it, a screeching cry from above tore her from her reverie and almost sent her ass over teakettle. Thankfully her back hit a rock and saved her from falling, and a quick glance up showed something that had her cursing her luck.
Hels. Not the fun kind that helped make you able to walk on water either, but void-tainted ones that would rather peck your eyes out. Of course a flock of Void-Hels had found her, and on the day where she only brought her chisel.
For a moment, Kore was worried that she was alone against the birds. But then she spotted the winged deer fighting alongside an Eagle, and that was enough to make her sure that she had a friend here. The Eagle had to be someone, and certainly someone who knew what they were doing.
Rising to her feet, Kore placed her chisel against the rock as she watched the skies. It wasn't good enough to be a weapon, and she didn't want to dull the only chisel she had in combat.
No… she'd watch the scuffle, and if any Hels got close enough, they'd taste bear claws.
An unrelenting cycle varnished and vanquished, from carnivorous deer to raptorial eagle, prospered and vigilant. Talons caught and fangs mangled, and together the squawking, miserable flock became a decimated bout of wings, feathers, and screeches. Some fell in slow spirals, others were thrown and tossed by the excited peryton (who hooted a vague hello to the stranger below), only to descend several yards away, dead and still.
One, likely by some measure of experience, wisdom, or sheer fortune, did manage to escape the swiftness of the Sword and the impulse of Belial. Perhaps they were even distracted by its brethren. No matter the circumstances or explanation, this one set its black, beady little eyes upon the woman against the rock, figuring she’d be far easier pickings.
So it soared rapidly, a vicious caw the only warning, as it hurtled itself in her direction.
02-20-2024, 09:51 AM (This post was last modified: 02-20-2024, 10:00 AM by Kore.)
I will never fit in
Kore grinned as she saw the lone Hel break away from the flock, its darkened form hurtling towards her at impressive speed. It wanted to test her, and Kore was looking forward to the chance to swat that irritating thing out of the sky.
Time to play...
Leaning forward, her form contorted. Bones twisting and flesh expanding until the form of a woman is gone, black fur sprouting from skin as a hulking black bear stood there instead. Kore hadn't found an opportunity to use this form in a while, so the primal strength was a welcome change of pace.
A grunt escaped the hulking form as she prepared for the Hels approach, hunkering down for a second. But once it came within range the bears form sprang up, left paw swinging down in downward arch to swat at the void-tainted bird, a roar escaping her muzzle as she moved.
Her paw met feathers as it barely dodged her strike, ducking out of the way as it was forced to stop its attack for the sake of its own survival. That was fine with her, it dodged at the perfect height for her to bite at its wing with her powerful jaw. The brief moment of discomfort was bearable for the chance to end this void monster.
In his experience, Hels had self-preservation. They were foolish, perhaps, but held enough wisdom and sagacity in their forms to snatch at opportunities and flee from occasions granting them distress. These damned multitudes seemed to act on nothing more than aggression and vitriol, and he pushed it to the back of his mind for impending notations later, for both he and Belial remained busy with the remains of the flock.
Below, he noted the altered stance of the woman, now a bear, granting a silent nod of approval for Attuned measures and being capable of handling the situation. It simply granted more opportunity for peryton and eagle to split apart the rest of them. Audible cracks and snaps followed their abrupt, raptorial predilections, and before long the Hels were simply no more, other than spirals of feathers and bodies faltering down to the ground.
At which both landed nearby, eyes flicking over to see how the stranger chose to end her prey.
Now Kore wasn't lucky enough to have any kind of official as she wasn't a Knight or a Hunter, but she did have claws and fangs. As well as the raw strength to make up for lack of finesse. That felt like enough to keep up with others.
Sadly, Kore didn't have the muscles to grin at her foe while in her Ursid form. So instead, she growled deep in her throat before snapping at the void-tainted Hel. The seizing chill pf the creatures aura was painful, but it was a necessary pain. She couldn't shy away from pain and let the bird man as well as his strange companion have all the fun.
Her fangs tore through the birds wing and sent it tumbling to the ground. The wing was clearly broken, but it still thrashed on the ground, appearing to fight through the pain. Kore could have left it to die on its own, to let the bloodloss claim it. But that felt... cruel. Moments ago, the Hel had wanted to kill her,but she didn't want to needlessly prolong it's pain.
She lumbered over to its thrashing form, choosing to end the fight with a decisive stomp with her front paws. It let out a screech and a single crunch, and then the fight was over.
For a moment, Kore considered what to do with the corpse. It wasn't something she wanted to touch, but she also didn't want to simply leave it there. But then she spotted the bird and winged deer watching her from a distance, and an idea came to her.
There was at least one creature present who seemed fond of the taste of their avian foes.
Gently scooping the remains of the Hel up with one paw, she flung it in the direction of the winged deer as an offering. A chance to snack and clean up.
With that, the threat seemed to be gone. So the lumbering form of a bear cracked and contorted as it shrunk back to the human form of Kore. She much preferred her human self to the Ursid form due to her own sense of pride.
Once she returned to her human form, Kore went about collecting her abandoned tools. She'd speak soon if the bird chose to remain silent, but first she had to ensure the tools were returned to her person.
The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head The thunder of the drums dictates
He altered soon thereafter, a shift from sienna wings and sharpened talons to his usual monolithic stature. His brow arched, perhaps expectantly, at the bear, waiting for her to strike down the last, remaining foe, briefly amused as fangs tore, birds fell, and she finally ended the notions. In a few moments she too had returned to prior forms, and his attention went to the corpses.
Belial gleefully rampaged over at the offering, but Deimos’ warning through their bond solidified he wouldn’t be gnawing it down – not with the unknown contamination and infestation abilities. Instead, the peryton was permitted a few moments of play, where he hooted and tossed it about as though it were a new toy.
Until the Sword glared, and the deer snorted, laying it amongst the rest of the void cretins. Thereafter, the Warden promptly set them on fire, incantations of magic turning and churning them into a brief inferno. Nonchalant and unbothered by all the proceedings, he eventually turned back to the stranger. “Apologies for any interference. Do you need help?”
The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead The rising of the horns, ahead
