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!
dirty laundry, hangin' out with the white lies 'til they're clean sheets
testing loyalties,
Rexanna has absolutely zero idea what happens next, and when it does – she’s brought to her knees. Exhaustion sets in, and she’s waning so incredibly hard. It seems everyone else is too, eyes seek out Samuel and Wessex, managing to wrangle herself toward the two as quickly as she can, which isn’t really all that fast in comparison. Gods, she feels absolutely terrible. She can only assume the rest of them do too. Fluid has stopped seeping from her shoulder, but she doesn’t trust it to last.
But she approaches them, offering her help to Sam with his leg and his ability to still feel pain clinging in the back of her mind. Eyes seek out Wessex with a quiet nod to follow their goddess’ instruction. The three of them had trusted the Voice, and she focuses on being replenished and fixed, knowing the goddess will do so. And if she doesn’t? She’s sure the Voice has a good enough reason for it.
It’s a long trek to the shrine, but she stops at the first one they can find that’s dedicated to the Voice, and upon reaching dead and center of the shrine, she finally drops, sitting in the snow with a hand pushing her dark hair back. “We’ve made it, Lady.” She announces, so soft, quiet in comparison to what she could do. She’s too tired, too exhausted, to do much else.
Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?
Sam struggled to comprehend much after his last words to the Voice. There had been a noise so loud it had been almost silent and he had had all the life knocked out of him except for one tiny fragment, that clung on so gingerly he feared it would fall at any moment.
It was good that Wessex and Rexanna were with him, because without them he would have simply curled up and let the woods or the Fae take him; the two women and how brave they were motivated him to keep going, to follow despite the burning pain in his leg (hot, wet drips of blood moving down into his socks) and the weakness in his heart.
Unlike the other two he could feel the pain and the cold of the snow, but instead of complaining he tried to be brave for the Voice, focusing only on the journey ahead. When they finally arrived and he saw the shrine, he dropped to his knees and fell forward, head bowed and hands clasped before him, shoulders shaking with tears.
Rexanna had the strength for words, so he let her speak for him.
All Wessex knows how to do is survive, so when she feels that first bit of energy (and she knows she shouldn’t be able to feel it - she knows it’s not good), the Wraith throws herself to the ground.
It does nothing to protect her, of course. The blast hits them like an electric freight train, causing Wessex’s head to spin, her muscles to stop contracting - everything is ruined. Only the good will of her Goddess keeps her alive, and when she opens her eyes again, the destruction blows her mind. The Fae are dead. The tree is dead. And they’re… nearly dead. Silently, she finds Rex and Sam and hauls herself to her hands and knees. There’s no energy for words. No energy for anything except robotic, stubborn movement. Just the knowledge that they have to get to a shrine. All of them.
If they stop, she nudges them on, eyes drooping, faltering every couple of steps. The walk seems to go on forever, but she trusts Rex and lets her lead. She trusts the Voice, she trusts the Voice, she trusts the Voice… and then the Queen, too, drops, the world feeling like it’s flickering in front of her eyes, the thoughts coming so slowly…
This wasn’t what her first death felt like, she thinks as she drops beside Sam, eyes half-open and hardly focused. Did they make it?
Electricity staggers out from the shrine like a thousand fingers meant to console and soothe. There are no words at first, for the Voice needs first to restore her creations before any conversations might be had. In all her dreams, she has not seen this. Wessex, yes, she imagined would be here. Sam is a surprise, but a welcome one. He has proved himself time and time again to be loyal and stronger than he knows, but constantly he doubts and falters. And Rexanna? The newest of her changelings? Her presence too is a shock, but one that she welcomes.
The rest of them? Her poor Lucas? Bastien, Amun? Well. Not all of her stars are meant to shine in battle. Some will aid her in other matters. For now though, these three will be rewarded for their deeds.
Juvinated and restored to brilliant perfect, the Voice appears before her children with a wide smile. "How brave you all were. I could not be more proud of you—" She takes a moment to look at them each. "—all of you."
Reaching forward with fingertips made of static, she presses her palm to each of their cheeks..
You have all received a custom upgrade from the Voice! Let me know what you would like!
dirty laundry, hangin' out with the white lies 'til they're clean sheets
testing loyalties,
She’s thankful for her companions as they trek across, coddled together like the children they feel, until the shrine is before them and all of them reach the ground in their exhaustion, even in the small amount of fear that Rexanna can feel as she finishes speaking, when the silence prolongs a heartbeat longer than she expects. But they are rewarded, electricity that screams home and safety, welcoming and loving, bursts from the Shrine, covering them all with soothing words.
And the Penumbra begins to feel better, reaching for the internal systems of herself, dark sapphire eyes shuttering against the feeling of restoration. A sigh leaves her lips in her comfort. And she begins to remember, to remember Lucas who had perished, who they hadn’t even paused to retrieve his body, and her stomach sinks. And she thinks of Amun, wherever the man had gone, a small amount of anger and frustration brimming beneath the surface.
But they had been successful, these three. And she cherishes them as closely as the Voice does in keeping them all alive. Perhaps Bastien was right, that she had a tendency of rushing straight into danger. But she hasn’t died yet, and she counts on that streak continuing.
She feels better, eyes opening as she surveys the Voice before her, before them – the comfort that radiates from her goddess feels like drinking cold water after a long hot drought. She drinks it in, deep, savoring, as she’s restored, and the goddess reaches for them all. “Thank you.” She says quietly, edging into the goddess’ palm until she focuses on the Voice once more. “What was in the Mathair?” A quiet question, taking a moment to pause to see how Samuel and Wessex have healed. Her brother and sister in arms, before her gaze lands back on the goddess before her. What did we open? What have we done?
Flooded with electricity, everything about Wessex seems to reawaken; like a battery recharging, she can feel parts of her grow stronger, the fog lift from her head, and limbs grow less leaden. Proud, she hears, and smiles. Yes. She’s proud of her companions, too.’Even you, Sam,’ she thinks towards the Ascended man.
Pushing herself back up, the Wraith comes to a sitting position and exhales needlessly, purely for the emotional release. That was… harder than she thought it would be. Her gifts have served her well. Looking at Rex with a smile, the Queen reaches out for her sister’s hand and pats it in a ‘well done’ kind of gesture - thinking the words instead of saying them, not knowing that they will now be able to hear her, and better yet, respond.
At least the woman has enough sense to ask a question before their very busy Goddess disappears on them again. And it’s a good one. She knows she’ll have to deal with the consequences of this later. She knows this will be a whole incident.
Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?
Thankfully the Voice did not dawdle in healing them and Sam sighed out a shaking breath of relief as strength flooded back into his limbs and his skin stitched together, wounds on his leg and face closing up and fluid stopping flowing so liberally over his skin.
Perhaps even nicer than the physical restoration was The Voice's words that she was proud of all of them. When she turned to look at Sam he smiled through his tears, feeling that pride warm his heart. The Voice truly was the mother he'd never had and he wanted nothing more than to know he'd made her proud in that moment.
Wessex's words could have been somewhat of an insult (even you) but he appreciated them nonetheless, hoping that pride from the fearsome woman might give her more patience for him too.
Rexanna's question is a good one, and he has something to add to it: "Is what we did for the Mathair what the Blight was for..?"
They would each find their gifts uniquely tailored to them: To Rexanna, her only hybrid child, a devastating rejection of her uniqueness as it manifested in others. To Sam, a satisfyingly electrical barrier when he needed it. And for Wessex, the ability to keep her words hidden when the Wraith saw fit.
With a look towards Rex, the Voice beams a warm smile. "Our future." She says with an electrical lightness to her voice not yet heard. She vibrates with freedom. It is so close she can taste it. With a gentle look towards Sam, the Voice let her head tilt back and forth. "The blight was not for anything so much as it was...an effect. But don't worry about that now. Vi has come down from on high with rosebushes for all. No harm done." She says soothingly, wishing that of all her children, that Sam could see the big picture for what it was. Perhaps she never should have allowed that pesky upgrade to be placed inside of him after all.
"The fae have surrounded the tree, but now that the portal is open..." The Voice shrugs, as if suggesting that curiosity will inevitably get the best of them. "I suspect after LongNight someone will be able to encourage them to let a scouting party through..?" She says with a pointed and approving look towards Wessex.
dirty laundry, hangin' out with the white lies 'til they're clean sheets
testing loyalties,
Her head turns toward Wessex when she hears the Queen. But her lips don’t move, and Rexanna gives Wessex a slight quirk of a smile as her hand pats the Penumbra’s. Thanks Wessex. She replies, a similar feeling to when she spoke to Remi in the form she had siphoned from him. But before long, her head shifts back toward her goddess as she stretches out an arm, listening as an explanation is given and a brilliant smile is sent her way.
It reflected on the Penumbra’s face.
She had seen mountains. Oceans. Other places. And she craves them now more than ever. A future within them.
But she explains about the blight, and Rexanna listens in. Sighing internally with relief at the mention that there weren’t any harm done. And she wonders if her daughter, somewhere, wherever she is, is recovering from it. And she hadn’t done too many things she regrets. She also thinks of Melita, in a similar boat, unable to stop herself before it became too much, too overwhelming.
Still, the Penumbra nods in response to the goddess as she mentions that a portal is open. But she has nothing else to say, and instead, her sapphire eyes drift from the goddess, to look at Samuel when it’s Wessex’s turn to speak. And she reaches out, to somewhat pull Samuel into a hug. “Good job Sam.” She says lightly, giving him a gentle smile before focusing on the Queen.
Samuel, whether he wanted to be there or not, at least hadn’t died or abandoned them.
10-05-2019, 03:33 PM (This post was last modified: 10-05-2019, 05:58 PM by Wessex.)
WESSEX
the wraith
Wessex understand now: the blight was a power move, meant to sow panic and havoc and make the Old Gods realize exactly what she’s capable of. It’s the move of a woman at war, and though the Queen dislikes all the trouble it brought upon her, she also understands that the Voice had faith her bright ones could weather the storm. There are clear lines drawn now - they know more or less who their enemies are: Roana, for a start. She wouldn't be surprised if there's more.
In fact, she would be a fool to think otherwise.
She nods, taking it all in. There are still so many questions. “So. Now we have to get through LongNight -” She pauses. “I’ve done the best I can with getting sanctuaries set up. To be bright for everyone. But I can’t save them from their own stupidity. Is there anything that could help against the monsters that we’ve forgotten? A secret last resort?” Surely if anyone knows what might help control or influence her mindless creations, it would be their own mother.
“And - what’s beyond the portal?”
What can she tell those who will surely try to rip her to pieces for this?
Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?
The Voice might see the Blight as 'no harm done', but Sam knew people outside of the Ascended would struggle with that perspective. If it were that easy, he wouldn't have had a knife against his neck in his shop or heard words of anger from Jigano. But this wasn't the time to argue, to tell her it would be a good idea to do something. What that would be he didn't know.
He stayed quiet for a while, until Rexanna suddenly pulled him close for a hug; the touch was unexpected and at first he was stiff, hands hovering awkwardly around her back, but then he hugged her back, mumbling: "You too."
Sitting back, he waited for the answer to Wessex's question. It really was in a lot of ways what everything depended on; if the portal led to somewhere judged worthwhile of all the pain the Blight put the people through, maybe it would be a path to redemption.
Flashing a smile to Rexanna, the Voice moved towards Sam. Her fingers curled into his hair as she stood behind him. Though everything would suggest she was not as tall as he was, still her head was high above his shoulder. Placating him as one might a child, she leaned her cheek against his head and filled him with a sense of peace that left her fingers as small electrical sparks.
"So I have seen. You have done well Wessex, as an ascended and a queen." The Voice says with an appreciative nod. "As for their stupidity, I hardly care. Let them die and feed the creatures that roam. It is only the optics of it that matter." As for secret weapons? "Hmm...I would not have my bright ones injured..." So saying, the goddess closed her eyes. A look of concentration filtered across her timeless features, her lashes fluttering with electrical impulses. "You may pass by the creatures once, invisible.." Her eyes open and she nudges Sam. "Biologically invisible." She tells him, indicating his own brand of invisibility would not be enough.
"They are drawn to movement, light, and heat. They cannot precisely be reasoned with, but instead look for scraps of power. Magical items, old upgrades...that might appease them, for a time."
Wessex's question makes her smile, wide and beautiful. "Halo." She breathes, with a hum of electrical enjoyment. "A devastating land of cold and ice, but one that holds one of the most precious commodities in all of Caido. And from there? We will spread out as we have done here until we take back the world."
All ascended have received the following:
Signal Blocker | This chip blocks the biological signal from being sensed by the LongNight monsters once. While this chip is implanted the ascended is effectively invisible to the creature.
dirty laundry, hangin' out with the white lies 'til they're clean sheets
testing loyalties,
Sam accepts her hug, and the Penumbra relaxes a small amount when he does, pleased to release him and let him know silently that she’s there for him. That she’s rooting for him regardless. And she manages to look up in time to see the Voice’s smile sent her way, watching as their goddess moves to stand behind Sam, caressing and loving him gently like a mother would. It’s a gesture that manages to make Rexanna relax a bit more, despite the thing they’ve just done.
Still, she remains silent while the Voice speaks. And she listens diligently while the goddess mentions that they can pass by the creatures once, invisible. A one time use, but so incredibly useful. A gift that Rexanna can’t help but to smile at, thankful and quiet. And when the goddess continues on, about what they’re attracted to, the woman mentally notes it, jots it down.
Only when she hears the name Halo does she fully perk up, a land of cold and ice and her grin forms wider. Mountains! “Yes.” Rexanna quietly agrees, a breathless vow to follow the Voice in the endeavor. To take back the world, to see the mountains, the world at large. She needs to tell Deimos. She needs to tell Kiada. She needs to tell so many people about what she has seen, except… After Longnight, after the expedition through the Portal. After Longnight.
Damn. She is generous tonight. Wessex smiles and bows her head, resolving that she has done her best and that is all she can do. If anyone pulls something stupid and dies, it won’t be on her conscience. “Thank you.” The upgrade will likely come in handy - they all know it.
And then she’s sucked in by her Goddess’s words, wrapped up in ideas about a frozen, cold part of the world where the Ascended could reign supreme. Their Lady had hinted at it, of course, of a world where they wouldn’t have to shy away from the sun, where they could dominate and rule and fuck this perpetual kow-towing to the followers of the Old Gods. Do the Old Gods even have a hold on his Halo, or is it ripe for the taking? Will they be fighting the whole way there?
“After LongNight, then. We’ll deal with the Fae. If they’re still alive…” she makes a face, indicating that she is indeed skeptical, but if there’s any mystery magic left that can deal with the senseless monsters, it would be the Fae’s. And if not, then that's one less problem to deal with on her end. “Is that where Zariah went?”
