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!
As Loren made his way to the shrine in the Greatwood for the second time, he prayed that the Fae wouldn’t find him. This time, he had some hope that his prayer might be answered, given the purpose behind his illegal and ill-advised visit. Obviously he was banned from the Fae lands—and obviously he was going to respect that—but he’d been given his commands by much higher powers than even them, and he figured they wouldn’t stop him from fulfilling a holy quest given to him by the old gods (especially given that Frey had backed up the order from Vi and Rae). At least, that’s exactly what he was planning to say on the off chance he actually did encounter any of the winged beings. He couldn't exactly stop them if they disagreed. Apparently Loren would have to have faith.
To bad he wasn't very good at that.
So once more, he came to the clearing where Vi’s Roses bloomed among the statues of the gods. Many more of the precious flowers had been crushed since his last visit, and his heart sank at the sight. Still, he had to hope that his efforts, all their efforts, would be enough to cure the blight. Coming to the center of the clearing, he knelt and bowed his head. After encountering one of the lesser gods, the Launceleyn knew how important it was that he got this right. He didn’t even want to consider what might happen if he offended one of the more powerful deities. ”Rae, hear my prayer. I know that I am not favored in your eyes, but I ask that you heal those who have been afflicted by the blight, for their sakes, and I offer up everything that I am to purge this unnatural disease from these lands. Please. Please let this be enough.” It had to be, because if it wasn’t the summoner didn’t know what he would do. What any of them would do.
Then he stood, and swiftly made his way out of these woods, hoping all the while that he wouldn’t get caught for yet another trespass.
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Post in {SWE} Deliverance and collect three of Vi's Roses (do not pluck them, you must have roots and all!) (Done)
Complete three threads planting the roses: one must be at Mathair, one must be at the Spire and one may be in a place of your choice! hope sprigs eternal {SWE}First Step From Darkness would smell as sweet
Try to convince a blighted individual to prick their finger on one of Vi's Roses - you don't have to be successful. red, light, gold, and dark
Once all of the above is complete return to the Deliverance thread (yes, post a second time) and pray to Rae. (Done)
Amun had decided to go wandering, given that the place he’d landed didn’t seem to have all that much to offer. Besides, he was still annoyed and confused about being transported here to begin with; it was almost a crime, both because this world was so much worse than the one he’d left and because he himself had been stripped of everything that made him glorious. So as he made his way towards the distant tree, his stride would be more accurately described as a stalk. Of course, he’d been warned to stay away from the forest, so of course he felt even better about his decision to go there. He wasn’t going to accept the rules of this place at face value (not that he listened to rules at the best of times).
Although he’d left as soon as the sun had set—this whole not being allowed out during the day because of the whole not being able to move and bursting into flames thing would take some getting used to—it was true night by the time he stumbled upon a clearing filled with statues and flowers. They were the same Roses that had bloomed by the tower he’d first encountered when coming through the portal.
Not quite knowing why, he knelt down to carefully gather three of the blooms. Something in his mind, a voice almost, though one he couldn’t consciously make out, urged him to do so. Once he cautiously eased them from the ground, roots and all, his subconscious nudged him to his feet. He could almost picture himself planting the Roses in various locations, though only one was known to him: the big black ruined tower. Still, even with the suggestion pulsing in his mind, something within him rebelled at the thought of following orders he didn’t trust and didn’t know the source of.
So instead of heading back the way he came, he turned to move further into the forest, trying to get away from all the strangeness of this world. And maybe he was also chafing a bit under all these rules and compulsions. For someone used to being a free spirit, he was being told where to go and what to do a lot more than he was comfortable with. This small rebellion made him feel better about it all.
Look, I admit it, I've been ignoring this whole blight thing. The thing is I just... don't care. Coming back from the dead, figuring out how to survive an apparent monster-filled endless nighttime, surviving without any modern technology? It's taking up a lot of my time. Someone else can care about the weird disease eating at these people. I don't really care. As long as I'm not sick, I'm not complaining.
Except that now I'm worried about Sunny. Ever since that blonde bitch bit him he's been... weird. Not home as much, and twitchy when he is, with a weird darkness to his skin that I am not particularly down with. And maybe I don't care about the rest of these people, but there's no way I'm letting that oaf die on my watch.
So yeah. Here I am. Standing in front of a statue of a very short woman, digging for some roses. With three of them collected in my hands, I glare down at the frozen figure, a glint of steel in my eyes. "This better fucking work, okay? I can't lose him again."
This feels wrong; so, so wrong. Though Rae has never specifically burned her with sunlight or tried to kill her, offering prayers to another God (especially an Old God) makes Wessex feel icky. Like her skin is crawling and she’s on edge, if her body were capable of such sensations and reactions.
So it’s half-hearted and one hundred percent situational, but Wessex returns to the site of the roses and offers a quiet, rushed prayer to the God. “I don’t believe that they’ll die, but if you could take away the blight, that would be great.” She pauses and then throws out a “Thanks,” like she’s politely signing a professionally worded email. They both have a stake in this, and since she can’t voice her concerns (indeed, she would personally let the blight rage if it weren’t for Melita) to her own Goddess, here she is. Doing the thing. Getting it done
Bastien returned to the Shrine, roses planted, initially feeling rather good. He had done his bit, and he was sure between all of them, some God would sort this all out.
Still, praying to Rae, when his alignment was to the 'New' Gods; it felt dirty. As if he was having an affair, like The Voice would appear and scream to find him sharing cigarettes in bed with Rae. Similar to Wessex, he felt more and more on edge the closer he got to the shrine. That didn't mean he couldn't schmooze a bit, though. Always good to keep your relationships sweet, even with enemies.
"Rae. I do not know you and I suppose you likely will not want to know me, but I, yes even that wretched creature, have planted your three roses. I hope this effort helps you to cure the Blight." With a curt bow of his head, he turned to leave.
There are people streaming in and out of the Shrine once more. Nephele has to bite her tongue to keep the charities from spewing, her emotions too raw and bitter to give the Outlanders any kind of pass right now. Instead she lets her tired wings rest as her feet find solid earth once more, ignoring all others around her as she enters on confident strides.
She recoils immediately as she enters the Shrine, hazel eyes landing on the unnatural form standing where once there had been empty space. Nephele's eyes spring hot with tears as recognition dawns, feeling as though nothing more could be taken from her. First the health of their woods, then her sister, now Arduinna? What more did they have to sacrifice because of these cruel people?
Her knees fold before she gets much farther than Arduinna's frozen form, huddling into a ball and covering her face with her hands. She doubts her positioning matters to Rae as she begins to pray, fervent and tearful. Silent and grieving for all they've lost, but hopeful that perhaps it can be fixed with Rae's intervention. I have done all I can. Please, please help us Rae.
Your goodness must have some edge to it -- else it is none
Amun was not particularly pleased to have to go back into the Greatwood after that whole thing with the Mathair. However, he could sense that if he didn’t, he’d always have this nagging sense of having left something undone. Given that he was new to Caido—and given that it seemed he wasn’t exactly welcome in this new world—he was trying to paint within the lines as much as possible. Unfortunately, he wasn’t particularly skilled at that, preferring to follow his own course, and he was rarely willing to follow the rules.
Therefore, despite the danger to himself, once night fell he again made his way out to the shrine with all the statues and all the Roses. As soon as he arrived, he bowed his head. ”Hey Rae. I think that’s right? Anyway, I planted my Roses, so hopefully they do what they’re supposed to and you can get out of my head now.” Even if they didn’t fulfill their purpose, the Ascended had done his job, and done it well for a newcomer. If that wasn't enough, it wasn't his fault or his problem anymore. Satisfied, he turned to go.
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
Roana returned after the tasks were finally completed, hoping that the efforts she had put into placing the roses where they needed to be would do as they all had hoped. As she arrived, she was heartened to see so many praying to the more mysterious of the gods, Rae. Considering the dire situation many of their loved ones were in, as well as that of the Greatwood, it was no surprise – but heartening nonetheless. The former captain tilted her head to join them. ”Rae, I have done what was asked and planted three of Vi’s roses. Please heal all who are affected with this blight.” she said under her breath in prayer to the only god that had the power to do so.
