What do you get when two ruthless assassins raise their daughter travelling through the wildest reaches of Caido? Take one look at Theea and you'll get a pretty good idea. Cheerful and tenacious in equal measure, and curious beyond all else, she began her journey on a mission to find those her mother once called family. And find them she did, soon rubbing elbows with demigods, leaders and even ghosts from the past. Her determination is resolute, her thirst for knowledge unmatched. We can't wait to see where her next adventure takes her!
Congratulations, Theea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
OG Skinning provided by Kaons, with functionality and many custom plugins made by Neowulf!
Oh, you say you have to fall apart to really be someone
Playfully led astray to view the wonders of an enchanted forest was the kind of chaos Maea could appreciate. While it might be more practical to get where you wanted when you wished to, perhaps she could use a bit more whimsy in a life lived far too seriously.
"I'm from the Hollowed Grounds, originally," she replied, knowing it might come with all kinds of connotation; while it felt far longer, it was really only ten years since the barrier fell, and the Greatwood had been the first to realize the dangers that followed. "Spent a good deal of time roaming, then tried to settle back down there again - but it has changed too much in ways I don't care much for. I intended to relocate to Torchline originally, but these woods... I don't know. Something about them just calms me, in a way I haven't experienced before. I came looking for roses, and found a home." A tender expression overtook her as Maea cast her gaze around at the trees, the verdant greenery coming back to life, the pops of color where wildflowers huddled against the sprinkling damp. Even on a cold and miserable day like this it was a lovely place, full of life, plants, animals, riddles to ponder and fresh, clean air to inhale until the lungs felt near to bursting – it stimulated the mind and granted peace at the same time. How had she not seen this before? Even though she had passed through so many times... she had been well and truly blind.
Perking up with interest at Niki's reply, Maea flashed him a quick smile. "Takes a lot of skill, that," she acknowledged with a good deal of respect. "I've only tried it the one time - a friend showed me how to make a ring - and it didn't come out at all like I'd pictured it." Shaking her head ruefully at the memory, she skipped easily onto a log blocking their path, then turned back to offer Niki a hand up and over in case he needed it. "I'm... not sure yet. I used to be a loreseeker, I could always fall back on that - scribing, working in archives, so on ‐ though I'm really too restless for deskwork alone. I like doing, helping out, being useful..." Which could mean doing anything, anywhere, applying her jack-of-all-trade experience wherever it was needed. "I'll tell you though, if it wasn't about making a living, I'd love to study. Magic, theology, understanding the workings of the world - that's always been interesting to me."
-500 MP Receive a custom item (Accepted only)
-500 MP Receive a custom item (Accepted only)
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Tentacle Rod | An enchanted rod ending in three writhing tentacles. Outside of combat, the tentacles have a tend
Receive a custom item (Accepted only)
Skyboat | A small schooner capable of travelling to adjacent boards. Travels at the same speed as a wagon/pleasure boat.
Skip a levelling requirement (100x the requirement level. Skipping a requirement at level 2 costs 200, at level 10 costs 1000)
Skipping 1 x level 6 requirement for 600MP
Skip a levelling requirement (100x the requirement level. Skipping a requirement at level 2 costs 200, at level 10 costs 1000).
Skipping for a Level 10 requirement.
"Ah, behind the barrier?" Niki asks, his tone one of curiosity mingled with sympathy. "I was only a child, still, when it fell, but I remember the news spreading." Listening as they continue to pick their way down the path, the boy is somewhat put out, at first, at the sight of the fallen log up ahead, but as Maea clambers atop it with ease and turns to offer him an easy and helping hand, he accepts it with a grateful smile.
"Perhaps the woods have been calling to you all this time," he says, only half joking as a gloved hand closes around Maea's, Niki carefully picking his way over the log and straightening up with his cane in hand to brush the moss and other debris from his coat before they continue. "I am happy for you I hope that you can be comfortable here - it sounds as though you have done a great deal of travelling already."
As for his work, while Niki can only offer a bashful sort of shrug at her praise - his metalwork is more a hobby than anything, but he does try to make each creation the best it can be - he perks up to hear about Maea's skill at scribing and her thirst for knowledge. "You ought to visit the Undercroft," he says. "I think it would suit you, if only for the time being, and they are always looking for people to help out."
my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now I can feel the light shine on my face
Oh, you say you have to fall apart to really be someone
She nodded, confirming his guess. By necessity the inhabitants of that unfortunate region had developed a stubborn streak in order to survive; whether for good or ill in later years, it wasn't an easy trait to shake off. Nor would she want to, if it improved her chances in the Greatwood. "That's very kind of you to say. Thank you - I too hope I will be able to settle down from now on. While I don't mind traveling, it can wear you down." Some people thrived on the road and never settled; for her, though, it had always had an element of flight to it. Fearing the cage she had finally escaped, thinking that putting down roots again equalled returning to resignation and despair. Only very recently had the begun to challenge that idea - and her feet had not quite caught on to the notion yet.
Noticing Niki's keen response, Maea gave the suggestion more thought than she otherwise might have. Quick to dismiss what she'd all but written off as a dead end career wise, the young man's interest had her intrigued. "It's a good idea," she admitted, "I can certainly ask. Do you go there often yourself? You seem quite aware of their customs, is all..." Only curious, Maea thought she might enjoy running into this young man on occasion. From a first glance he gave an impression of being easy going and calm, two traits she appreciated; both for the soothing effect on her own anxious mind and for the glimpses of optimism that challenged any gloomy tendencies she had developed.
-500 MP Receive a custom item (Accepted only)
-500 MP Receive a custom item (Accepted only)
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Tentacle Rod | An enchanted rod ending in three writhing tentacles. Outside of combat, the tentacles have a tend
Receive a custom item (Accepted only)
Skyboat | A small schooner capable of travelling to adjacent boards. Travels at the same speed as a wagon/pleasure boat.
Skip a levelling requirement (100x the requirement level. Skipping a requirement at level 2 costs 200, at level 10 costs 1000)
Skipping 1 x level 6 requirement for 600MP
Skip a levelling requirement (100x the requirement level. Skipping a requirement at level 2 costs 200, at level 10 costs 1000).
Skipping for a Level 10 requirement.
"I can only imagine," Niki says with a sympathetic nod; he finds it difficult enough to travel within his own region at times, but at least he always has the comfort of a home to return to (providing the woods lead him back to it, of course). "Hopefully the Greatwood can be a place for you to settle without entirely denying you of your wanderlust, if it remains." The forest can be endless for those inclined to meander about, after all, but the boy is relieved to see, up ahead, the first shapes through the trees that suggest they might be coming upon the Sidhe Village soon enough after all.
Smiling across at Maea as if to silently ask if she can also see the signs of life in the near distance, he nods when the conversation swings back to the Undercroft. "Often enough, yes," he says. "I have my own collection of books, but it does not have all the answers to my questions." Few things do, in his experience. "I would be happy to show you around there one day, if that is what you would like."
my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now I can feel the light shine on my face
Oh, you say you have to fall apart to really be someone
Given her experience of the forest so far, Maea was inclined to think it would become just that. Early days left much to learn and many more locations to explore, but it was with a sense of reawakening delight towards learning that she approached her new home. Not because she had to, or because the fate of the world seemed to depend on it - just learn about the little things, because she desired to understand.
Like the way a path could cut a straight path from one end of the region into another, for example. She could have pointed out the distance on a map and calculated a roundtrip of several days between the Village and Vi's eyes, yet here the houses were beginning to show through the greening trees after what couldn't be more than an hour. Enchanted, indeed. Magical, arcane – words simply weren't sufficient to explain the riddle that was the Greatwood.
Glad to be almost home, she was grateful for Niki's offer to show her around the Undercroft. "I should like that very much, indeed," she replied, the warm smile drawing crows feet by the corners of her eyes. "Whenever is convenient for you; I have an abundance of time. I've settled in the Guardian's Treehouse if you need to reach me, and you're welcome to stop by whenever you wish." A loner out of habit more than choice, Maea was finding that she liked having people around her. A proper house to invite guests to was a new concept, and probably the biggest success in her quest for change so far.
A fork in the road ahead slowed her steps. Turning to Niki, she gestured gestured down the right hand path, leading into the Village proper. "I'm going this way. Thank you for the company - it had been a genuine pleasure to meet you. Will you be alright from here?"
-500 MP Receive a custom item (Accepted only)
-500 MP Receive a custom item (Accepted only)
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Tentacle Rod | An enchanted rod ending in three writhing tentacles. Outside of combat, the tentacles have a tend
Receive a custom item (Accepted only)
Skyboat | A small schooner capable of travelling to adjacent boards. Travels at the same speed as a wagon/pleasure boat.
Skip a levelling requirement (100x the requirement level. Skipping a requirement at level 2 costs 200, at level 10 costs 1000)
Skipping 1 x level 6 requirement for 600MP
Skip a levelling requirement (100x the requirement level. Skipping a requirement at level 2 costs 200, at level 10 costs 1000).
Skipping for a Level 10 requirement.
"The Guardian's Treehouse?" Niki raises his eyebrows at that, but says nothing, merely nodding his understanding to Maea. "If you frequent the village as often as I do, there is no reason we should not run into each other. I am there every few days at a minimum." To bring new creations for merchants to sell, to order supplies and have them sent to his home, or to merely enjoy the bustle of people without having to reach out and touch it directly.
They reach the fork in the road a few moments later, and Niki offers Maea a grateful nod. "I should be just fine," he assures her. "Do not let me keep you from home. Have a good day, Maea - hopefully we will meet again soon." Offering her a light wave as they part ways, the boy's footsteps are no faster for having left her company, but he certainly seems more at ease now that civilisation is back within easy reach.
~FIN
my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now I can feel the light shine on my face
