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!
Word travelled fast when you could hear the whispers of spirits and the dead. Ludo is back. From wherever they’d been on whatever task Mort had sent them, the namesake of her favorite part of the wood had returned, and Delphia would not miss an opportunity to meet them if she could help it. Ludo was her father’s herald after all, whatever tasks were laid before the soul guide would certainly coincide with her own work at the behest of their beloved Mort. And so, with joyous excitement in her heart, she came to the shrine, a precious gift as an offering in her hands, something she had kept with her from her own childhood. It was a painted box with a handle. When the handle was turned, the box played a little tune, and after an indeterminate amount of time, the top would open and out popped a doll dressed as none other than Ludo itself. Equal parts scary and fun. She hoped Ludo would love it as much as she had through all the years.
”Ludo, I have heard of you from my father, Mort, and I would love to meet you.” she called out as she placed the toy box down on the alter. ”I hope we might find a way to work together, that perhaps my abilities can help you as they have helped our beloved Mort.
Ludo did like the toy. Very, very much so indeed. And it had been away (read: grounded and banned from consulting with the mortals of the Hollowed Grounds and Greatwood until it learned not to turn them against the Ascended - boring) for such a long time, it was exciting simply to be back. But it had an issue - the issue being that Mort had created, apparently, another Ludo whilst it was locked away behind the barrier.
And lo, Delphia was here. And much as Ludo appreciated the offering, it could not help the thorns of spite that pricked through its rags and deep into its core. So it appeared without pomp and circumstance before the daughter of death, its face a blank mask (lol, obviously).
“Work together,” it all but drawled. “Tell me more. What would you have us do, child of Mort?”
11-07-2019, 06:17 PM (This post was last modified: 11-07-2019, 06:17 PM by Delphia.)
DELPHiA
As the raggedy diety appeared, Delphia's face lit up, the corners of her eyes wrinkling as she smiled fondly upon the masked god. As much spite as Ludo felt towards her, Ludo was an idol to the daughter of Mort. She had been created to try and fill the tiniest of gaps left in their wake when they were behind the barrier. To match Ludo was impossible, her father had counseled, Ludo was more, greater than she ever would be, she but a shadow of all the deity was. And she was under no illusion they were remotely equals.
But he sentimentality did look to the god as an older sibling, the more successful hero she constantly tried to live up to, but who's shoes she could never quite fill.
"It is an honor to finally meet you." she said, dipping her head respectfully, her adoration ringing clear in her tone. Not everyone got to meet their heroes, the muse that inspired their existence, after all. For a moment she was rather dumbstruck, in the best of ways, the loving nature she recieved from her divine father overwhelming the capacity of the human form from her mortal mother. "I apologize I...I am simply overwhelmed with joy to finally meet you. I've admired you are your work my entire life." she said, realizing her awkward pause. But Mort's stories of Ludo's abilities, his love for the raggedy god - though he never said much about them personally, how could she not look up to one her father so loved?
"Mort had asked that I tend to the spirits of this forest while you protected the souls within the Hollowed Grounds. But now that you've returned, I would not dare impose on tasks you'd see for yourself, for I know my own abilities pale in comparison." Ludo had transported three centuries worth of souls to Mort's realm in a single night. Delphia could only manage a few souls a day. As much as she was stroking Ludo's ego, it was honest compliments.
"But I hope I might help you with anything you'd see fit. Missing souls, those kept in places the gods cannot enter, anything where that which make me less would be useful." she said. She knew the Spire was not a place the gods could tread, but certainly more such places existed, places created before the barrier had been raised.
Ludo watched, Ludo waited... and Ludo was pleased. Its ego was thoroughly stroked, and that combined with the generous offering given by Delphia... okay, perhaps Mort’s offspring wasn’t so bad after all. For now. Things could change in a heartbeat, after all - especially when it came to the ragged deity’s affections. (Except for Mort, of course).
“There is no imposition, sweeting,” it said simply. “Keep the Greatwood under your wing. The rest of Caido is beyond your reach - I will occupy myself further there.” As it had been doing, since it had been gently chastised by Mort.
As for the souls that could not be reached... Ludo twisted and turned in the air, as if thinking to itself. “Ascended souls are trapped,” it said simply. “The Voice holds them hostage in the Spire.” Seeds for planting. Plans for making.
Her smile brightened as she gazed lovingly at Ludo, their words lifting her until she felt as though she might float on air. "That brings me great joy to hear." she said, hugging herself since she didn't know if the deity liked hugs nearly so much as Mort. "I will continue to watch over the Greatwood then." It was where she had been born and raised, so she was perfectly content with that arrangement.
Pale eyes followed Ludo's twisting path, the adoration in her gaze ever present. Her fingers twitch, the desire to stroke the soft looking rags tempting, but she knew better than to treat a god with anything less than the uptmost respect. Her head tilted slightly at Ludo's words. Mort had told her once that the Ascended souls were not with him. But to hear that they were in the Spire...the seeds Ludo planted bloomed quickly in her mind. Certainly she could enter the Spire. Though she was of the Old Gods, her mortal half was a potent ward to the things they might find difficult to overcome. "There must be many centuries of spirits held there then..." she said softly, her brow furrowing slightly. She had only ever moved one spirit to Mort at a time...but perhaps she could guide them out where Ludo could then assist? Or perhaps there was some other method she did not know to accomplish that which she could learn?
"I will investigate the Spire and find them then." It was a clear task, one that fell in line with the work they both did for Mort. But... "But why would she keep them from Mort? Why would she torture those souls like that? Does she not love her Ascended?" It wasn't usually a happy existence for those who did not transition from the world to Mort. They belonged with Mort, there was not a soul that did not yearn for that which he provided...it made no sense to her.
Mask bobbing in agreement, the deal was struck. Mort’s offspring could help out in the Greatwood and the Hollowed Grounds, leaving Ludo better able to tend to Caido’s souls elsewhere. It would still answer the calls of those who prayed (or not, as was the case sometimes), but this way at least the daughter of death could hone her skills. Or whatever it was Mort wanted her to do.
“Oh yes,“ it agreed, ”many, many centuries.” It had rescued some of them back when it had met with the Voice in the Labyrinth, but that was but the tip of the iceberg. “You may wish to consort with others in the Grounds who seek a similar objective. I believe some of Safrin’s chosen are aware of this also.”
Snorting in a way that should not have been possible, it shook its head at Delphia’s final question. “People covet that which they love, whether or not it is the best thing for it,” it said. “The Voice is a silly child. She knows not what harm she does.”
Safrin's chosen...there was a lot she had not come across - nor even children of Vi. But she nodded, storing that bit of information away. "I will seek them out." she said. Any help or thoughts would be useful here. As powerful as she was compared to most, she did not need to be told that the Voice was more formidable than her. This would certainly not be so straightforward as it would seem at first.
"You are too kind like my father, Ludo, if silly is what you'd describe her as." she said, looking at the raggedy god with fondness, even as the anger she was unaccustomed to feeling bubbled up within her. Only someone truly wicked could do something so horrible to those they claimed to love. "But perhaps that is my humanity speaking." she admitted, knowing she was still prone to many of the mistakes humans made.
Which gave her pause, her mind trailing down a dangerous, and truly horrifying path. "Ludo...my father created me from the soul of a child within his realm, new life from one dead. Could...could the Voice be sustaining herself on these souls she covets away?" she asked, brow furrowing. Delphia did not know how it was that one once human could be immortal like the gods. Mort was always quick to rectify such things...and yet if she had centuries of souls with which she could renew her own life as Mort had done to create her...tearing the person from the life force sustaining the immortal soul...she shuddered. Monstrous, truly monstrous. She desperately hoped Ludo dismissed her idea for folly.
Ludo bobbed it’s masked head yes to show that it accepted her decision; quite what would come of all this it did not know - for even the gods could not predict the Voice or her ilk - but action (that did not lead to its loving exile again) was better, indeed, than inaction. Being described as kind, or in any way close to how Mort presented himself, puffed the masked deity full of pride, and a snatch of fabric snaked out to tickle Delphia under the chin in appreciation.
“You need not tell me how you came to be, sweetling. I am full aware,” it assured her - though what she had to say on the matter did give it some pause. The Voice sustaining herself on souls? Horrific. “I do not know,” it confessed. “But I suppose by freeing the souls, you will find out. It is not such a far stretch of the imagination to think that may be the case, I will admit.”
Delphia smiled, leaning into Ludo's little affectionate touch. It caused her affection for her spoopy kind of sibling to bloom anew in her chest. The daughter of Mort did not need her affections returned or affirmed to love endlessly, the trait indicative of her parentage. But she still appreciated when it was - even if it was in exchange for some ego fluffing. It wasn't as though she had lied after all. So far, for all the murmurs of Ludo's trickery and fickleness, they had treated her kindly and spoke softly of the enemy of the gods. Any who found Ludo's bad side must certainly deserve it.
But her demeanor did drop as the deity confirmed the possibilty of her wondering. She wrapped her arms around her waist, a deathly chill running up her spine. "I have never wished to be mistaken with such strength before." she muttered. But the longer it sat in her mind, the more it seemed probable, and it made her sick to think. "I should not wish to see Mort if this is true either." Her father in all his kindness hated to see life ended too soon, the way he mourned the passing of the young to his realm ached her heart. But to destroy a soul like that? Tearing apart the pieces of immortal sculpture of Vi's creation for personal gain, so that Mort could never give them rest? If ever a thing would make her father rage and rain retribution in the ways some spoke of gods of death, it would be that.
She shook her head, a sad attempt to rid her mind of the terrifying vision. Ruminating on things not yet come to pass would accomplish nothing. She had work to do. "Thank you, Ludo. I shall not keep you longer with these tasks set before me, lest you've another task for me?" she asked, the warmth returning to her pale gaze as she looked up at the deity.
Yes indeed - the destruction of souls for personal gain would certainly ruffle feathers in the celestial world. And Ludo would tell them I told you so if it was true, for it had tried to engineer the end-times for the Voice and her children, only to be swatted down. But, as with Delphia, it did not do to dwell on such things before they had been proven - for they may never come to pass.
The daughter of death spoke again and Ludo’s mask bobbed with its shrug. ”I am not a jobs board,” it said. “You have your tasks, your role, your worries. And I have mine. Farewell, Delphia. Good luck on your soul search.”
A wisp of rags, a cold chill, and the deity was gone.
