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!
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
This frozen desolate hellhole of a land wasn’t exactly Amun’s idea of a good time. However, he was supposed to explore and all that good stuff, spread the gospel of The Voice, yadda yadda yadda. Although he didn’t know exactly what that meant, he was a busy little worker bee.
So he'd bundled himself up (not that he felt the cold, but appearances were important), stolen acquired a bag of apples, and strolled through the portal. Dumping off the sack, he'd nodded at the guards there, winking at a few of the more attractive ones (attractive in a rugged sort of way of course). Then he'd whistled, and made his way down the nice little path.
However, nothing exciting was ever found on the beaten path. So it wasn't long before he turned off, and headed into the snow. He was headed for a sheet of ice in the distance, which looked to his experienced eyes like a frozen sea. Well, he was a sailor, so that was immediately appealing to him.
Sam was excited to come to actual landmark in his explorations around Halo, having become quite sick of plains of white snow stretching before him. Nate had been good company at least and their system had been working - meeting up in the evenings, spending the nights together, then splitting off to explore further in the day. It felt like he was actually getting things done and for the moment, no one was trying to stop him.
It wasn't lone before he began to notice footprints heading down to the sea, ones that could not have been left by Nate because they were following the same general direction as he was. A little anxious to meet whoever it was who had left them he continued on, hoping they would not be hostile to him or his cause.
As he saw a silhouette begin to appear in the blizzard before him he swallowed then took a few quicker steps forward, waving. "Hello! It's rare to see someone out here, in the mountains. Are you exploring too?" From a distance, he did not recognise Amun, having only met the man a couple of times at group meetings.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Turning at the voice, Amun grinned at the familiar figure. ”Well, well, well look who it is. The wimpy redhead.” There was a gently teasing tone to the potter’s voice, though no actual malice. Tilting his head, Amun smirked at the other man. ”You don’t remember me?” The potter placed one hand over his heart and gave the redhead an overly dramatic hurt look. ”You wound me.”
Then Amun grinned. ”I guess that’s fair, we haven’t been properly introduced.” Winking, he swept into a shallow bow. ”Amun Arlun, at your service. It’s a pleasure to officially meet you.” Straightening up, the grin broadened. ”To answer your earlier question, yes I’m exploring. I figured I’d see what’s up with that sheet of ice over there.” He gestured vaguely at the frozen sea, before taking a few steps forward.
"Wimpy?" Sam repeated, a little offended. He was aware that was probably true, but it didn't mean Amun had to say it. Though as he came closer and actually realised who the man was he let go of his offense a bit, aware that it was just sort of how the potter was. One of those people who were never serious. "Oh, I couldn't see you from back there, sorry."
He bowed his head in greeting. "Samuel Wordsworth. I think I've seen you at a few things, but never actually spoken...but I'm always happy to meet another Ascended." Whether they'd actually get on or not was another matter, but to be from the same small family of children of The Voice...it made him feel a connection to Amun already.
"Oh, I see...are you exploring for the portals too?" Sam asked, following Amun as he looked out over the sea. "I've been trying to cover all the tundra and mountains up here along with Nate."
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun smirked and nodded. ”Wimpy!” Chuckling, he shrugged before spreading his hands in a helpless gesture. ”Listen, I’m just relaying what other people said.” He waved away the other man’s apology.
Grinning at Samuel, the potter crossed his arms, eyes sweeping up and down the redhead’s body now that they were close. ”I’ve seen you around too, wimpy. And likewise.” Amun’s tone was teasing, but lacked animosity, and he winked to let the other man know there was no harm meant.
At Samuel’s question, however, the potter smiled lazily. ”I am. Wessex and I checked out Whitebrim, and as I said, I’m about to see what’s going on out on that ice. Seems like you know more about this than I do, though, and we're on the same errand, so feel free to join me.” Tilting his head, Amun felt a mischievous light enter into his eyes. ”Who is this Nate? And did it occur to you to enlist your fellow Ascended to help you with this very important task set by our goddess so you didn’t need to cover all that ground alone?” Again, while there was a mocking edge to the words, there was no malice behind them.
"Please don't call me wimpy." Sam insisted, frowning as Amun told him he was 'repeating what other people had said'. Who? Did his friends all gather on an evening to tell each other how cowardly he was? He didn't dare ask, knowing that if he actually got any names he'd obsess over them for days to come.
Amun was happy to meet him, apparently, but Sam wasn't really feeling the familial love anymore.
He frowned as Amun continued to speak. "Nate is Ascended. We're travelling here together...and he's my partner. He's um..only recently Ascended. Though we're only going to go around the mountains, as it seems Wessex and yourself, I suppose, have covered a lot of the areas already." Sam tapped his forehead. "The Voice gave me an ability to know how much there is to explore."
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
At Samuel's comment, Amun grinned and crossed his arms. "Or what? You'll fight me?" Then he let out a chuckle, the sound dark and low. "I'm just teasing, thin. You gotta loosen up a bit." Winking at the redhead, the potter dropped his arms to his sides.
Grinning at the mention of a partner, Amun took a step onto the frozen ice. "Well. I'm looking forward to meeting your Nate." At the mention that he and Wessex had covered a lot of ground, he nodded. "We've been getting around."
When Samuel revealed that he knew how much more they needed to do, the potter's grin turned into a smirk. "Neat trick, that. When were you gonna share with the rest of us?" Tilting his head, he gave the redhead an amused look. "We could've split up, covered more ground that way, if only we knew where we were supposed to go."
"No, I just..." Sam sighed. It seemed Amun was determined to give him a nickname either way - he wasn't sure he liked 'thin' much better, but he supposed at least it wasn't 'wimpy'.
He also wasn't really sure he wanted Amun to meet Nate. He felt like they'd start bouncing banter off each other immediately and the result would be insufferable (as much as he loved Nate, he knew the man had a weakness for quips and endless 'smart' conversations). "Did the Voice tell you two to explore as well?" He had been under the impression he had been given a special task.
At least it seemed his power was unique. "You two ran off here before I did. I didn't know anyone else was going to come." He shrugged. "The Voice asked me to do the exploring personally, so I didn't know anyone else was going to do it...next time I suppose I'll have to be quicker." He worried the Voice might be angry for his slow pace at his job, but that concern would have to wait until he next saw her.
"Have you seen anything special here?"Sam asked, thinking that so far he'd seen mostly snow and mountains and not much else.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun smirked as Samuel’s voice trailed off. ”You just what, thin?” Unlike the redhead, the potter’s voice was confident. Nodding at his fellow Ascended’s question, Amun winked. ”She did. Told me I, along with the rest of the Ascended, would be her eyes and ears in Halo.” Strangely, there was an eagerness in the potter’s voice, a desire to show his goddess that he could be relied on.
At Samuel’s explanation, Amun’s eyebrows rose. ”First of all, we didn’t run off. We walked through the portal, the portal that Wessex and The Voice opened for all of us, not just you. Second, did you ask what the rest of us were planning, or just go haring off on your own? Sorry, with Nate. Finally, what did you expect would happen when the portal opened, thin? We’re barred from the Greatwood, and while Halo is dangerous and not exactly fun, at least it’s more exciting that the Hollowed Grounds.” Though his tone was teasing and his words chiding, there was a weirdly comforting nature to them. The potter just wanted his fellow Ascended to show a bit of a backbone.
He tilted his head at the redhead. ”Did she tell you that you were the only one she was expecting to explore? Because she didn’t tell me that. So I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” The potter grinned. ”Plus, we’re here now, so we may as well all work together. Family and all that. You don't have to work alone when you've got a crew, thin.” That said, he stepped further onto the ice, his steps certain even on the slippery surface.
”Got into a brawl in Whitebrim. The folks up there are not super friendly and definitely don't like outsiders. And just about to find out what’s going on out here. You coming?” With that, he began walking further out onto the ice, eyes fixed on the distance.
"Oh." Sam was a little disappointed that this mission had not been his alone, his chance to redeem himself after Longnight. Perhaps it was egotistical, but he had hoped for once he could be the main character of the story, the hero for the chapter. He knew he probably should have expected Wessex at least to charge ahead, but that hadn't stopped his imagination running.
Amun's words were just extra shit on top of a frustrating situation and Sam felt irritation rise in him rather than the usual bowing apologetic panic. "Yes, alright. I see that you all got here very quickly before me and no one spoke to each other." He was not very good at being angry, stumbling a little bit over the words and his grumpy face only lasting a few seconds. "She gave me the ability to know how many places there are, so I...thought I was special."
Still, he followed Amun as he started walking again; it had been a few hours since he'd spoken to someone and it was easy to become wrapped up in bad thoughts in the endless white snow. "A...brawl...? I was hoping we could make a good impression on the people here...after what happened in the Greatwood. Have you been to the Citadel?"
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
As Samuel finally snapped at Amun, he grinned, delighted. ”There’s the fire I was hoping to see! I knew you had it in you.” Reaching out, he attempted to clasp the other man's shoulder in an almost brotherly way. ”Don’t sweat it, thin. Or whatever it is we Ascended do.” Assuming the potter had been successful earlier, he'd release Samuel.
Amun’s voice came out as light and breezy as before, but there was something almost gentle about it. ”You are special. Otherwise The Voice wouldn’t have given you that ability. But just because you’re special doesn’t mean you have to shoulder this burden alone.” He winked at the redhead.
Chuckling, the sound dark and low, the potter kept walking. ”Well, I was being all friendly like, and they attacked me, thin. In fact, I think one of them wanted to eat me. And not in the fun way. So I wouldn’t worry too much about Whitebrim.” His tone was surprisingly cheerful, given the subject matter.
He shook his head at Samuel’s next question. ”Not yet. It’s my next stop. I met the Archmage of the Citadel, though, Zariah Launceleyn the Merciless, and made a good impression on her, so we’ve got that going for us.” Spotting a crack in the distance, Amun altered course to give it a wide berth.
"I---mmmm." Sam gave up, a little irritated. Why did everyone always try to bring out his anger, his 'fire'? Couldn't they just like him for being nice and quiet? At least he wasn't 'wimpy' anymore.
Though it seemed Amun would switch from mockery to comfort on a whim and he nearly had emotional whiplash as he looked up to hear the next words, which were a genuine help. "I...suppose you are right. The Voice does always remind me of our family. I just...was used to being alone for so long. There have been a lot more Ascended in Caido in the last couple of years." Not that he'd ever been the only one, but he'd always been a champion at isolation and it had been easier when there were less than four Ascended in the town.
"I don't think there's a fun way to be eaten." Sam replied entirely genuinely, laughing a little at the thought. "But...if you say so. Do you think they attacked you because you're an outsider or because you're Ascended?" The distinction was important.
His face fell. "Zariah? She's...what? Arch-mage of the Citadel?!" How did she keep getting into these positions? "Oh dear, I don't think she'd like me much at all, if she knows who I am. Maybe I should stay away from the city."
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun grinned. If Samuel let the potter, he’d sling an arm across the other man’s shoulder. ”You better get used to being not alone, thin. Because we’re here for you, same as you’re here for us.” This time, Amun’s voice was cheerful without any hint of mocking or teasing.
It didn’t stay that way for long. ”Oh really? Your partner doesn’t swallow your meat or eat you out, thin? Shame. You should really try it sometime. I hear there's a room that can help with that.” He winked at the redhead. Then Amun let his arm slip away (assuming he’d been successful earlier) and chuckled, the sound dark and low. ”Oh, definitely because we were outsiders. They didn’t even know we were Ascended.” With that, he deftly stepped around a slightly treacherous looking patch of ice.
Then, however, Samuel panicked and the potter raised his hands in a placating gesture. ”Easy, thin. I’ll handle Zariah. But you have to go to the city. Exploring on The Voice’s orders and all that.” He tilted his head and smirked. ”Though I am curious why you think she wouldn’t like you. Is there a story there?”
"Ha, um..thanks." Sam replied awkwardly, shoulders stiffening at Amun's touch. He had never been someone fantastic at physical affection, particularly not with someone he hardly knew.
And it seemed his fellow Ascended was determined to continue to make him deeply uncomfortable. "I don't need the roo--I mean um, well...he does do those things--but-I just don't--I didn't know that was what you meant." Sam said finally, clearing his throat. As Amun's arm finally released him he relaxed a little, his shoulders moving down as he became less tense.
"Zariah hardly seems to like anyone." He pointed out, but continued:"Um...when she was Queen and she asked people to sign up for her army...I ran away into the woods. I don't know if she even knew about it, but if she does I think she'd be mad." Rubbing his arms, he sighed, knowing he'd probably eventually run into her.
