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!
A lofty throne Neron might have built for himself, nestled in Halo's glacial heart, but that did not excuse him the duties of the town within the Citadel. Whilst the majority of the Warden's work lay within the Palace, up on its battlements or along the walls, there were plenty of occasions where his presence did much (or enough, at least), to boost morale and prevent the citizens from revolting. Or eating each other. Enough of that for a lifetime, thanks.
This afternoon's work was informally known as a fireblessing - a minor talent in illusion magic Neron might have, but it was a talent nonetheless, and he found himself in the thick of Snowcloak's marketplace to 'bless' the torches and hearths of the merchants there. His power leant some mystique to the process; the flames leapt higher here, or changed colour there, and the Warden's presence spread like rats into a sewer amongst the thoroughfare of people.
Pausing beside a stall selling mulled cider from a large pot, Neron paused for a cup. The fire keeping the cauldron warm sparked with gold and blue - naturally the merchant was delighted.
12-23-2019, 09:22 PM (This post was last modified: 12-24-2019, 01:03 AM by Loren.)
whatever comes, let it come
what stays, let it stay
Loren had been avoiding this conversation for as long as he dared. However, it was past time he made things right with his twin, if he could. So he’d bundled up, and grabbed multiple gifts. One sack of meat for the guards at the portal, more meat for the guards at the Citadel, some wood for the palace guards (as a bribe reward to find out where he might find Neron) and one final gift that was currently wrapped. Astra had accompanied him on his trek.
Fortunately, before he actually reached the palace guard, he’d heard the murmurs and rumors about something called the fireblessing performed by the Warden. Curious enough to check them out, Loren was surprised to discover Neron doing something with the torches and lanterns that adorned Snowcloak. Reaching into a pocket, Loren placed the spectacles he carried everywhere with him. Unsurprisingly, the fire magic was all an illusion. Literally. He took off the glasses to appreciate it fully.
The ceremony paused, or was over quickly enough. Hesitating for just a moment as the summoner caught Neron in an unguarded moment, Loren put up his hood. Only then did he finally approach, a hesitant smile on his face. ”Hello brother. I owe you many, many apologies.” He proffered the gift he’d brought for the Warden and the Warden alone.
It was the finest bottle of wine he’d been able to make. ”I was going to start with an apology gift of alcohol, but I see you already have some.” Still, the summoner offered it, giving the merchant an apologetic smile. "The illusions were wonderful." It was much quieter, but still heartfelt. Still holding onto the sack of wood, he continued smiling uncertainly. The luxere, hiding behind his back, finally poked her head out and gave the Warden a curious and hopeful look.
Neron was not strictly royalty, despite the icy glory of the Palace that hung over Snowcloak, and so it was not unusual to find people approaching him to greet, speak and ask questions. So Loren would not be impeded in his approach, Neron glancing up from his mug of mulled cider to find a face as familiar to him as his own. Once upon a time back at Northaven - a name so foreign on his tongue now that it had taken a moment to recall it - they had been in the process of mending their relationship.
Who knew what would happen now? Apologies, it seemed, would be a good start. "It was quite the befuddlement for me to awaken in the snow with a new face," he said quietly, accepting the wine with his free hand and nodding a farewell to the merchant. "I can understand well your confusion and disbelief." Had he not been drinking cider he'd have inspected the wine a little further, but for now he allowed it an interested glance before tucking it away beneath his cloak for later perusal.
"I appreciate the compliment but pandering is not necessary," he said of his illusions, making his way away from the stall, boots crunching in the snow. "Walk with me?"
12-25-2019, 09:10 PM (This post was last modified: 12-25-2019, 09:47 PM by Loren.)
whatever comes, let it come
what stays, let it stay
As Neron took the wine, and seemingly the apology, Loren breathed a sigh of relief. ”Thank you, for your understanding. And I can't begin to imagine what it must've been like for you.” His voice came out quietly, but with a great deal of gratitude. Then the corners of his lips twitched up. "We always did know you were the more handsome one." There was no animosity, just a simple statement of fact.
As his twin commented that compliments were uneccessary, the summoner nodded. Falling in easily as the Warden asked for Loren to accompany him, he was silent for a long moment. Then he stole a glance at Neron. "I would like to make amends. If I can. If you'll let me." Again, the summoner's voice was soft, but his tone was quite, quite hopeful. He shouldered the sack of wood he was still carrying into a more comfortable position, and Astra padded along behind them, eyes wide.
They walked slowly through the marketplace, snow crunching beneath their boots, the brisk air clouding their breath before them. "Then don't," Neron said regarding Loren being able to imagine his situation. "Tell me what you have been up to, instead. And we both know that handsomeness is in the eye of the beholder." He smirked, glancing sideways across to his twin. "Though ought I take that as confirmation that this new identity of mine isn't so bad this time around?"
It was a stark contradiction from you are not my twin to all but grovelling and promising to make amends, and Neron was on high alert for anything that didn't look right. "Tell me more," he invited. "Your presence alone is more than enough, I hope you know. It has been a long time since I saw a face as familiar as my own." Zariah had been the first one in over a year, in fact.
Nodding again, the corners of Loren’s lips twitched. ”Definitely not so bad this time.” Then, however, he glanced away from Neron. When the summoner next spoke, his voice was much quieter. ”I was sick for a long time, after I came to Caido. In my mind. When I finally regained my senses, much had changed. Since then, I mostly helped the Hollowed Grounds deal with the blight and prepare for LongNight." He looked back at his twin for a brief moment. ”How did you become Warden of Halo? Loren’s tone was quite curious.
Sighing, he ran his free hand through his hair. ”I don’t know that, actually.” His words came out more bluntly than he’d intended. ”But thank you for saying so.” Falling silent for a long moment, he finally turned to face the Warden more fully. ”You’re the ruler of this land. Surely there is something I can do to get back in your, and the family’s good graces.” The summoner’s tone was just as soft and just as hopeful.
"I suppose it must be nice, at last, to feel like you have your own face." Neron smirked; a lifetime of sharing an identity, practically, with his twin, and here they were. Not that they had been at all alike, and they had only truly taken advantage of being identical once or twice towards the end of their time in Northaven. They exited the marketplace, moving now along a cobbled side street, the Palace glittering overhead in the distance. Tilting his head a little as Loren explained his time in the Hollowed Grounds, Neron was not so soft as to offer comfort or sympathy. It had happened - what was important now was how they planned to move forward.
"Blight and Longnight. I have heard of both of these things, though we only experienced one of them in Halo. The fires burn bright, and it passes without incident, mostly." He shrugged his shoulders. How did he become Warden? Now that was a tale, indeed. Not one for public ears, however. "I will tell you one day," he said. "For now let's just say I managed it on a wing and a prayer."
Suddenly, uncharacteristically almost, Neron leant across and jostled his shoulder against Loren, as if to chastise him for not believing he might have been missed. "I was not aware you weren't in the family's good graces. What have you done to annoy them this time?" he inquired. "As for me - there's much you can do. There's a position here, with me, if you'll have it. But before that... I am not so foolish to believe you weak any longer, brother. There is something I might task you with, though it will be dangerous."
12-26-2019, 05:11 PM (This post was last modified: 12-26-2019, 06:14 PM by Loren.)
whatever comes, let it come
what stays, let it stay
Loren was silent for a long moment. "I didn't mind sharing one with you." It was a surprise, and surprisingly truthful, especially to him. Glancing at Neron, the summoner smiled faintly.
At the mention of what Loren assumed was LongNight, though, his brow furrowed. "LongNight in the Hollowed Grounds definitely does not pass without incident." For a moment, his eyes grew haunted. Then he shook his head, clearing his mind, before nodding at his twin's words. "I look forward to hearing it."
The jostle was definitely unexpected, but definitely not unwelcome. The summoner went so far as to grin tentatively. It slipped away at the Warden's question. "When I was sick, I was away from the family." Loren looked away, eyes troubled. "When I returned, Zariah was gone. When she returned, I was less than apologetic and obedient. She branded me a traitor, disowned me, and threatened to kill me." His tone was sad, though not afraid.
Shooting a glance at Neron, the summoner bit his lip. "So I'm not sure you should be offering me that position. As the head of your family, your wife, and the mother of your child, Zariah seemed to believe she was the real power in Halo." His tone might've contained the slightest amount of scorn for his cousin's machinations and claims, as well as a gentle concern for his twin.
When the Warden said there was something Loren could do, he immediately nodded. "I am familiar with danger. What is it?" His words were eager, and his eyes were hungry.
"So I have heard," Neron murmured, continuing down the sidestreet and nodding to a few passers-by en route to the marketplace. "If the creatures that torment the Grounds could stay on that side of the portal, we at the Citadel would very much appreciate it. Halo is dangerous enough." The cold alone made every trip out into the Tundra akin to a mini-Longnight, in his personal opinion. Nodding, as if to confirm that Loren would one day hear the tale, Neron happily changed the subject back onto his brother.
(And what an unusual thought it was, to want to hear of Loren's escapades).
Ah, the Zariah trifuckta - treason, disowning and threats of murder. Neron was utterly gobsmacked (not). And as Loren continued, the Warden actually snorted in amusement - such presumptions made, on the part of his family and otherwise. "Listen, Loren. I don't know what you have been told, but whoever it was Zariah married and bred with, it wasn't this Neron Launceleyn. I have no wife and I have no child. And for the safety of the boy, you will not repeat what you just said to me to anyone in Halo." He frowned across at his twin.
"Whatever it suits Zariah to believe, let her. I am telling you there is a place for you here." He shrugged. "As for what it is, since the portal to Halo opened I have heard nothing but begging and whining for something known as Mageglass. Do you know what that is?"
12-26-2019, 06:11 PM (This post was last modified: 12-26-2019, 06:43 PM by Loren.)
whatever comes, let it come
what stays, let it stay
Loren frowned. ”We don’t really know how the monsters work, just that they’re early attempts by The Voice to make Ascended, and they can only be warded off by certain types of magical light. Including luxere, which you have in abundance here.” Glancing over his shoulder, he grinned at Astra, before returning his gaze to Neron. ”The portal in the Spire was open this past LongNight, as I understand it, just partially blocked, and no monsters came through. So they may very well be confined to the Hollowed Grounds. Still, the only ones I know of who’ve kept them entirely out of their lands are the Fae.”
At his twin’s amused snort, the corner of the summoner’s lips quirked up in a brief grin. ”I didn’t think it sounded like the Neron I remembered, but she seemed pretty sure of herself.” He let out a huff of laughter.
However, his eyes narrowed at the rest of the Warden’s statement. ”Of course.” His voice held a quiet intensity. Then he hesitated, mouth open, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, before eventually closing his mouth. His lips were pressed tight.
When Neron once again offered Loren a place by his twin’s side, the summoner looked away, brow furrowed. When he finally looked back, his eyes were bright and his tone was gently hopeful. ”I would like that, I think.”
Of all the things Loren was expecting the Warden to mention, mageglass was pretty low on the list, and the summoner’s eyes widened in surprise. ”That...might be partially my fault.” He let out a huff of laughter. Still, the smile he turned on his twin was apologetic. ”Yes, I know what it is.” Falling silent, Loren’s eyes searched Neron’s features.
Those in the Hollowed Grounds might not know how the LongNight monsters 'worked', but what Loren had to say about it was a helluva lot more - and told Neron a lot more - about the Ascended, the Voice and the rest of that nonsense. Wessex rose another notch in his mind; a formidable woman indeed. "That is good to know. I will assume, then, that they cannot come through that portal, until proven otherwise. Luckily there are more than enough monsters out in the Tundra already, and they'd have quite the ways to travel before reaching the Citadel."
Shrugging amicably beneath his dark cloak and flashing his brother a sharp smile, he turned the corner at the end of the street and paused there, that they might continue to discuss matters. "She always sounds sure of herself. She is Zariah Launceleyn," he pointed out. "And I would like that as well. There is room around my table, and Halo could use your power and expertise."
Even more so, if Loren was able to pull off this task. "I assumed so," he said of it being his twin's fault, smiling crookedly. "That you know what it is saves us a lot of time. I don't know if there is any to be found out on the ice, but if there is, I would prefer it in Launceleyn hands. Someone else has already asked about it - I have sent them to Whitebrim, to an abandoned mine. I would have you go to the Fangs instead. Find what you can, and bring it back."
Loren nodded, though he shot Neron a questioning look at the mention of monsters. ”I know about the dragons in the Fangs. What other monsters are there in Halo?” There was an openly curious tone in the summoner’s voice.
In lieu of words, he simply grinned back at his twin. It was one of those rare smiles that lit up his whole face. It gained a slightly sheepish edge as the Warden gently teased him. Still, Loren's expression grew serious, a neutral and determined mask sliding into place. "I'll see what I can find." Hesitating for a moment, he smiled. "Thank you."
Then, much more quietly, he added, "I missed you. And I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner."
"Unfortunately I am not able to give you a full menagerie of what you might find out there." Neron gave his brother a wry smile. "Besides which, it would be difficult to arm you with any knowledge that might not merely be conjecture. Frost giants, Ursur, water elementals... Keep warm going outt here, brother." That, he hoped, would be warning enough. That a Launceleyn was on the case at least boded well, too. And who knew - perhaps the bard on his trip to Whitebrim might find something interesting too.
Frowning playfully at Loren's confession to missing him, Neron scoffed. "You clearly have forgotten where we came from and what the family put you through," he said. "But I appreciate it anyway. It has been too long since I could speak with my family. And I have missed that." Probably as close as Loren would get to an admittance in return.
12-26-2019, 10:21 PM (This post was last modified: 12-26-2019, 10:52 PM by Loren.)
whatever comes, let it come
what stays, let it stay
Nodding in acknowledgement, Loren’s lips twitched. ”I’ll keep that in mind.” There was a bemused tone in his voice, and his eyes sparkled.
At Neron's comment, however, the summoner’s cheerfulness faded. In its place, there was a much more solemn and darker expression. "I haven't forgotten." His tone was low, and his eyes had hardened. Astra, sensing his unease, trotted up and nudged her head under his free hand. He stroked her idly, her affection bringing him back from the place his mind had wandered.
When he spoke next, his voice was still serious, but much lighter. "I have missed it too." He bit his lip, studying his twin with sorrowful eyes. "There are too few of us left." The words were soft.
Then however, he shook his head, and the neutral and friendly mask he usually wore slid into place. Hefting his sack, he smiled faintly. "I brought this wood in case anyone needed it. I figure you might know who that might be far better than I." He held it out for the Warden.
