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!
The skies of the tundra are vast. Mountains reach upwards like silent fingers to clutch at the velveteen blackness and despite how they groan and stretch, never are they any closer to the stars than when they began.
The clearness is the only reason Safrin tolerates this place at all, with its oppressive chill. She likes the hostility though—this eat or be eaten vista—but the cold has never quite suited her (she hasn't the penchant for rags like some).
Falling like a star with all the fiery blaze of a comet, a subtle arrival some might say, Safrin lands amidst the snow and ice; her starlight sheen of her presence reflected upon the landscape and transforming it into a mini galactic wave of light.
Open to all (so long as you more or less have a reason to be here ;) )
This can count as a SHRINE VISIT if you need one, or a RE/God encounter!
The Citadel was a lot of fun - more food, people and culture than Jiao had ever taken in outside of the Greatwood (maybe the Hollowed Grounds had culture, but it wasn't anything she really cared for); yet she found the great white expanse of the tundra and mountains beyond the gates was still enticing, still asking to be explored.
There was the Ursurs, yes, but last time she had seemed to be rescued by a spirit almost immediately, so she tried to keep the faith that she would be alright again. Wrapped up warm in her furs she stepped out into the Tundra, hoping she might find something exciting to trade at the markets next time she re-entered the Citadel. Maybe some of the legendary Mageglass she'd heard so much about.
A bright light in the distance caught her eye almost immediately and she thought to walk towards it, wondering if it was maybe some of the stuff reflecting light - would it be so easy to find what everyone else struggled to? When she reached the spot however, it became clear it wasn't mageglass but Safrin, appearing by herself in the midst of the snow; a very odd sight indeed. Approaching slowly, Jiao tilted her head to one side. "Safrin? Are you doing something out here?"
With your big heart, you praise God above
But how's it working out for you, honey?
Do you feel loved?
i'm drowning in all these voices in the sea and meeting all my vices in the ring
Halo. An attempt to move on, to explore as Loren said he’d had at his disposal. And so he at least tries, mentioning to a phoebe he’s taking a quick trip (quick as the tundra could allow, at least) and with the furs and clothes from Deepfrost, he takes the trek. Haai comes with, zipping along the skies on iridescent dark wings that he follows behind in his macaw form.
At least until they get to Halo and it’s still cold as all holy fuck, and he gives one of the furs for the entry. It’s something, at least, and from there he spends the rest of the trek exploring the ice and snows much to his displeasure. After awhile, Haai grows tired and has run out of her excitement, exhausted and snuggled along both of Sunjata’s shoulders due to her length, cuddled against the furs at his neck.
And that’s when he spots someone quite familiar. He approaches as do a few others, gaze never leaving his goddess. “Safrin.” He rumbles quietly beneath a scarf of sorts, a quiet greeting with a smile to his tone at the least.
so step inside, i ain't afraid to bleed there ain't a casket strong enough for me
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
"Well I'm always doing something." She chuckled back towards Jiao. As the fae approached she'd find herself suddenly relieved entirely of the cold. As would Sunjata as he neared as well. "Hello there gray eyes." Safrin would purr towards the tall man, the juxtaposition between him and Jiao more than a little amusing.
"Nice night for a wander, yes?" Rhetorically said of course, as she looked up towards the skies with a hum of satisfaction. "Do take care. The cultists and cannibals always lurk in the dark..."
"As well as other things..." a smooth, velvety voice came from the darkness. It was Zariah, of all people, stepping forth into the light that the goddess shone. She herself had been travelling back from the portal point, but as Archmage of the Citadel, she was all too familiar with the night's dangers in the Tundra. But she was better equipped than most to fend for herself in the unlawful wilds of Halo.
The mage glanced at the Fae, unfamiliar and uninterested with her, then towards Sunjata, who was apparently Lucas' replacement. Whatever was the leader of such an uncouth gang doing in her neck of the woods? She would be sure to let Neron know that the Advocates were apparently scoping out their territory. Emotionless hazel eyes then glanced up towards the goddess, a small smile curving her lips. There truly was no more beautiful a thing in the world than a woman who wore power well - and the goddess of starlight was no exception. "It is an honor to meet you, Safrin. To what does Halo owe the pleasure of your unrequested visit?" she asked respectfully. As far as she knew, the deities only appeared at shrines when prayed to by their followers. That the goddess had appeared so suddenly in the tundra was indeed curious.
zariah
If my strength intimidates you, I hope you realize that is a weakness of yours.
Melita had followed Sunjata on a whim; no conversations or signs since the ridiculous wedding – weapons at her back, footsteps coiling into renewed springs of quieter motion, the healing process somewhat completed instead of depleted. She wasn’t really sure how to approach him anymore, not with the semblance of so many others shifts and things, except this bizarre little cloak and dagger motion – half-expecting it to lead her down roads of infantile wakes. The fact that it was a portal to Halo again shocked her (based on prior experiences, genies and the like), but she tucked her way along, holding Fangorn firm in her hands and offering some spare food she often kept packed.
Then she continued to trudge along, likely not nearly as sneaky as she intended – difficult to hold hushed footfalls, to not rush and leap, to not bound in audible diversions and dissonance. Then they were swept into the Tundra, and her eyes could only glean, distracted from her prior mission, by the presence of –
Safrin.
She’d never met another god, another herald, besides Ludo – off in the distance perhaps, like Frey, and for a moment she stood stock still, jaw unhinged on a gasp, enamored by the starlight, by the glow of color and the spectral reign of power, prestige, and beauty, blissful and blessed. Fangorn did much the same, not even a hiss or growl uttered, silent and stupefied in their bewilderment and enthrallment; forgetting their entire mission. There were words, but they hardly scratched the surface of her mind.
Safrin’s galactic gaze turns towards Zariah as she arrives. For a moment the goddess regards her with cool disinterest, a brow raising at the sultry words likely meant to be both polite and an indication of her stature within the frozen tundra.
As if Safrin needed either.
“You say that as if this is my first experience of Halo. As if I was not here when these glacial mountains were first formed. Unrequested?” Her dark gaze flickers like onyx bathed in fire. “How do you know I wasn’t?”
Melita’s presence received a decidedly different reaction of course, with Safrin softening substantially and flashing the vibrantly-hued woman a dazzling smile. “Melita...I do hope it isn’t too chilly for you.” So saying her magic would extend over the girl and Fanghorn as well, less so for Zariah, but of course all those within Safrin’s presence would feel themselves at ease, warm, and rejuvenated.
i'm drowning in all these voices in the sea and meeting all my vices in the ring
There’s a sudden warmth that courses through his bones, so much unlike the warmth that Frey has given him a couple of times before. And with it, he nears with a light smile at the mention of ‘grey eyes’, the purr from his goddess. Haai perks up at this, wide green eyes looking to the deity with interest and intrigue, lifting from Sunjata’s shoulders to inspect further. "It is." He offers Safrin quietly in response.
Zariah arrives next, and if Sunjata’s being honest, he could absolutely care less. But the next name that leaves the deity’s lips does cause his head to tilt, drifting back to look at the other that joins them. Dark brows furrow together and he slips over toward Melita, reaching out to grab her by the shoulders and pull her closer to Safrin, closer to the warmth and life his goddess has always inspired within him. “What are you doing here?” He asks her quietly, especially after Safrin just commented on cannibals and cultists?
He looks back up to Safrin once Haai leaves his shoulders to take to the sky and circle the goddess with all her wolfish amusement. A howl given to the goddess out of interest and intrigue.
so step inside, i ain't afraid to bleed there ain't a casket strong enough for me
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
The youth didn’t expect attention to be directed upon her, her eyes flickering back and forth over stars, over constellations, over galaxies, gaze widening in the cosmos. “You’re beautiful!” She echoed on impulse, as the goddess’s smile was turned upon her, her grin turning in much the same ilk, unabashed and unafraid, absorbing what she could (and the fact that the deity even knew who she was…that was worth the moons and cold). As far as being too chilly – it was true, she’d neglected to snag her heaviest parka in her haste to catch up with Sunjata (who, by the looks of things as he was stomping over, didn’t seem very impressed with her antics), stretching out her arms as the magic swelled along the pair, glowing, radiant, resplendent. “I’m all right. Thank you!”
Sure enough, no sooner had the otherworldly, ethereal connotations surged over honeybee child and vampire gourd, Sunjata was there, skimming her closer into their intriguing, outstretched gathering of individuals. The grin turned into a smirk, carefree, conspiring, somewhat devilish and Cheshire, forgoing any notion of cannibals and cultists (hadn’t she seen and experienced worse?). “I had to make sure you weren’t doing something stupid again.” A wrinkle to her nose, perhaps the only dissatisfaction she’d voiced with his latest decisions and idiocy, bouncing carefree along tundra snow, her attention back upon the deity.
On a gasp, she realized she hadn’t really brought a gift. Ordinarily she bestowed all kinds of things she’d found along the way to Ludo, and unfortunately, didn’t know what Safrin preferred. The girl rifled through the bag over her shoulder, procuring some of her favored ivory stones at the bottom, found on a recent trek along eerie woods and calm embankments. Gathering them in her palm, she extended them up to Safrin with the same ebullient, winsome smile.
Alas, powerful women tended to come with powerful tempers, and Zariah seemed to have rankled Safrin’s with her question. Par for the course for the Archmage but not her intention by a longshot. Oh well. One could not change perception once it was perceived, and though time altering magic was exciting in theory, it was terribly messy in practice. ”I do not know, though my clearly incorrect assumption was based on the lack of a shrine. My sincerest apologies, I meant no offense.” she said, dipping her head and conceding the point, making no attempt to argue with the goddess who clearly was displeased with her presence. Though she shouldn’t be surprised by that. She was an Abandoned after all.
The Archmage took a step back, able to take a cue when she saw it. The others gathered were those Safrin loved, and she was encroaching on their gathering. ”Safe travels to you all.” she said cordially to those gathered, turning to leave the gathered Safrin-blessed in peace with their goddess.
{ATTEMPTED EXIT Z}
zariah
If my strength intimidates you, I hope you realize that is a weakness of yours.
"Why thank you darling-girl." Safrin chimes, accepting the compliment as easily as one might take a breath. She beams at Melita, watching as she and Sunjata draw closer together with a twist of her lips. As Haii howls, the sound is returned from far, far away. Somewhere in the darkness, his icy tones have awakened something much larger. Or perhaps just directed it his way. They're all probably safe enough with Safrin around, though.
"For me? Why how lovely!" The white of the stones begins to shine like sunlight on snow, glistening in the off-cast light of Safrin's radiance. "Why don't I keep one, and you the other? That way we can both have one to remember this by, mm?" Reaching out, her fingers stroking Melita's palm slightly as she gathered up one stone, Safrin held hers up to the moon for a moment where it seemed to all but disappear, before pocketing it.
"Ignorance tends to bring offence along for the ride. But I"m sure you're used to that by now." Safrin hummed back towards Zariah, her tone light but her gaze onyx-edge sharp. "Well let me clear that up for you Archmage. I'm a goddess. I go where I please. Even inside that pretty castle of yours." Flashing a dangerous smile as Zariah turns to go, the goddess allows the departure.
i'm drowning in all these voices in the sea and meeting all my vices in the ring
He remains quiet long enough for Melita to compliment his goddess, before pulling her close to him – protective, always protective – and questions her why she’d come. And the answer does spark an amused snort to leave his nose, shaking his head slightly. “This is by far the least stupid decision I’ve made as of late, or so I think.” He rumbles quietly to Melita with a small wink in her direction, before the girl gasps and rushes to offer Melita a few stones.
Sunjata watches the interactions as well, a soft smile playing at his face. Haai continues to drift around the goddess, refraining from howling further from the louder sound off in the distance – wary of what it could bring. But still, her excitement at seeing the goddess is there, and she cant help the flaring of her feathers in sheer happiness at being this close.
He even remains quiet while Safrin and Zariah speak, watching her disappear.
so step inside, i ain't afraid to bleed there ain't a casket strong enough for me
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
The praise made her cheeks flush with a pinkish hue, wide-eyed in wonder, basking beneath open skies and starry portals. The echoes of something else from beyond don’t bother her, not now, as galaxies swirled and celestial materials gathered, caught in the cosmos. Uncertain of how her gift would be received, the youth watched in earnest as they were called lovely; cast even paler, even more beautiful in the ivory haze, not daring to move as Safrin’s hand chose one, breath billowing softly in reverence. Only when it was held against the moon’s radiance, disappeared and gone, did she finally say anything at all. “Okay! I’m glad you like them!” nodding her head in acceptance, a bit numbed and scattered, struggling to close her gaping jaw.
She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on the rest, but she couldn’t help herself as Zariah was chastised and spurned, the warnings, the threats, alive and well even as the Archmage disappeared. The honeybee girl wouldn’t miss her presence. The chill of last year’s antics were enough.
Sunjata’s answer caused her brow to arch, slightly, not anything of significance, snorting. “Then aren’t you going to say something to her?” Indicating the goddess, an overly exaggerated head gesture in the star’s general direction. Melita had plenty to say and ask, but didn't want to step on anyone's toes, gilded eyes slinking around, riveting between heralds and others gathered in their midst.
01-23-2020, 05:54 PM (This post was last modified: 01-23-2020, 05:54 PM by Safrin.)
Well. Pleased as she was to have her comet-like arrival witnessed by the mortals, she wasn't one to linger. Especially when she wasn't being bathed in compliments.
Turning to Sunjata and Melita not you Jiao, lam wtf, Safrin smiled warmly. "Well my darlings, time that we all find ourselves somewhere much warmer, mmm? But let me save you the trip home.." So saying, both Sunjata and Melita will find themselves transported back to the bar, safe and sound, warm and refreshed. "And you too." The fae would similarly find herself back in the Greatwood.
All would feel as though the stars twinkled a bit extra brightly just for them, on that eve.
Sunjata and Melita receive +1 luck! Jiao (because I"m nice), Zariah, Sunjata, and Melita may all count this as a shrine visit for this season.
