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!
After escaping through the Spire portal, Sam found himself wandering lost, in a panic. He could feel his face wasn't right, that his nose felt too far to the side and his jaw locked in an odd position where his teeth didn't quite fit together. All he knew as he reached The Hollowed Grounds again was that he needed to find The Voice.
In his addled mind he began to run towards the Labyrinth, remembering there was a shrine there, not caring about the dangers of the place. As his feet thudded into the ground, narrowly missing squirrels squeaking their directions (that he studiously ignored) he ran a way his body remembered even if his mind did not, to the Voice's shrine in the dead end. Maybe it was the high hedges he desired, the protection from the outside world that they promised.
As he reached the shrine he fell to his knees, skidding across stones and grass before coming to a stop just before the altar, hiccuping sobs replacing the sound of breaths. He was not crying for himself, though, not really - his face was distressing enough, but he believed The Voice would help and he couldn't feel the pain; no, he was crying for Remi. For his lost friend, for the pain of knowing he'd lost someone else.
"M-Mother...I need you. I'm sorry, I kn-know it hasn't been long since last time, but..." He shook his head, unable to really give any reason.
"Sam." She is with him suddenly, arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders before her fingers slip into his coppery hair to pull it back from his eyes. Of course she can feel the physical trauma within him, and she heals it instantly: bones click into place and the tooth he'd brought with him neatly reasserts itself back into his gums.
"Shhhhh." She urges, able to smell Torchline all over him and unable to help her smile at that.
"Mother." Sam let out a relieved sigh, keeping his face still as he felt it all slide back into place, the odd sensation of bones and skin moving without pain, tooth pushing back into his gum - Remi's hits erased, even if the fight still lingered in Sam's heart.
When he felt that he was once again whole he closed his eyes and took a breath, looking up to meet eyes with The Voice. "I...went to Torchline. I found my..my..." He paused, the word friend stuck in his throat. "I found Remi there. He...Oh, he..." Sam shook his head, hardly able to believe what had just happened. Saying it would make it painfully real, but the only person he thought had a chance at fixing the situation was his Goddess. "..He tried to kill me."
She listens, patient as a stone but far more emotive in her softened expression. "Oh, Sam..." Reaching forward to again brush a coppery lock of hair from his bLuE eYeS, the Voice pulls in a breath. "By the looks of things you didn't retaliate against him."
Married to one of Safrin's Chosen did not protect the alchemist. There were certain considerations which could be made if Remi was assaulting her bright ones...certainly, he was not strong enough to withstand an assault from her, after all.
Sam looked up to her with his eyes (of mystery colour) watery and sad, nodded. "I didn't want to hurt him. I used my barrier to shock him, so I could get away, but...I love him, Mother. Not as I once did, but...he means so much to me, and.." He shook his head, not knowing what else to say. It was all ruined, all gone in an instant - and this time, he wasn't sure it'd get better.
"I don't think I'll go back to Torchline for a little while, if that's alright..." He felt ashamed to say it, knowing it was a gift for her children, but with Remi just inside the beach where the portal let out, he didn't feel safe venturing back out there.
For a long while, the Voice says nothing. Like any good parent she understands that there are hills to die on, and ones to leave for another day. She'll not shove Sam into more trauma simply for the sake of her plans for their family, but nor will she let her child slide back down despite all the progress he's made.
"Perhaps if your fellow ascended are with you, you will feel more secure. Or we could simply make him forget you this time around." This latter comment is probably a joke, though it's hard to tell. "Or...love or not, there are ways of neutering his ability to hurt you..." She shrugs lightly.
"But the way forward is in Torchline. To take time away is one thing, but we need you there, if we are to continue. Surely you understand that?"
As the Voice was quiet Sam reached up his hands to feel his face, run his finger along the bridge of his nose - just making sure everything was in the right place, which of course it was. This was why his Goddess was the best of them, he thought; she had solved his problem so quickly, with no expectation of payment.
"Yes, I might ask Wessex if she'd go with me." Not that he'd tell her it was because he was scared of Remi.
As for 'neutering'....Sam paused, frowned at his mother. "What...do you mean? What ways?" He didn't want to assume the worse. Perhaps there was a way to defend himself against the admittedly very powerful Alchemist, rather than strike Remi down.
To be needed made him smile, regardless of context. "I know. Don't worry. If you need me there, I...I'll be there. Are we meant to explore again, for another portal? Or...is there a new plan?" He asked, curious to know what the next step was.
The Voice smiled at that. Sam and Wessex had once been so at odds, and it warmed her heart (or whatever it was that sustained her) to see that their differences were being put to good use, rather than simply splintering them apart.
'Well...he is meant to be a portal guardian now Sam, and isn't he doing just that? Preventing you from doing our work? The last time the guardians were in place we had no choice but to deal with them. Perhaps if this one was made an example of, the rest would back down. " In the big scheme of things, Remi was nothing. Yes, Sam might care for him, but feelings were fleeting.
"Exploration, yes. But in order to make a shrine so that I might be with you there will require...a bit of finesse. It will not be as easy as it was in Halo."
01-27-2020, 06:40 PM (This post was last modified: 01-28-2020, 08:28 PM by the VOICE.)
SAMUEL
i am the ocean, crawling madly at your moon.
and with one wanton whoop —
(Change of table cos the crying one is too dramatic now, lol)
The Voice gave her reasoning for Remi's execution based on his role as a Portal Guardian, something Sam had honestly almost forgot, given the Alchemist's lack of passion for it. "He...doesn't really seem to care about the portals, I don't think. If I could go invisible past him on the beach, I don't think he'd stop me from exploring." His mother speaking so casually of murder made him nervous (were those who called her bloodthirsty right after all?) and he found himself wanting to speak her down. "Let...me speak to him again in a while, when he's perhaps calmed down a little. I might be able to resolve things peacefully - that's best, isn't it? If we can do things with no bloodshed? It would help our reputation among the other races too."
She spoke of 'finesse' for their mission in Torchline, something Sam was not always fantastic at. "What is it we'll need to do?"
— i melt into a sycophantic soup,
& all that's left to do, is giggle, fawn, and swoon.
01-28-2020, 08:32 PM (This post was last modified: 01-28-2020, 08:37 PM by the VOICE.)
the VOICE
In reality's shadow the blind see best
"Maybe that's just what he wants you to believe. He hasn't always been honest with you, has he?" She tucked another bit of hair behind his ear, tutting softly. "I know you care about our reputation among the other races." The Voice agreed with a nod. "But whatever Remi thinks, he has stopped your progress. He's made it harder for you to do our work. If that isn't the role of a portal guardian, what is? Why is it you think he was chosen, if not perhaps to specifically be the one who stops you?"
The old gods were not above their own manipulations, after all.
The Voice reiterates what she said in the Shrine thread because of timeys and not because odd is an idiot who can't read. "The more time you spend in Torchline the more you'll understand. Be wary of your invisibility though...there are those there who would covet such an ability and might falsely thing they could take it from you by removing the upgrade."
01-28-2020, 10:11 PM (This post was last modified: 01-28-2020, 10:11 PM by Samuel.)
SAMUEL
i am the ocean, crawling madly at your moon.
and with one wanton whoop —
Sam found it hard to believe that Remi specifically was meant to stop him, though mostly because he did not believe himself important enough for the allocation from the Old Gods. Still, he did not want to argue too much with his mother. "I...suppose so. Still, I don't think you should kill him, or..or hurt him. Just...not for now - please give me a chance to talk to him, when things have calmed down?" It really was a testament to his love that he still held for Remi that he would request this of his Goddess, the slight defiance of her wishes making him nervous indeed.
"Oh. I..I never thought of that." Since he knew it would be impossible for a non-Ascended to take his powers, he had never considered someone unfamiliar with their race might have not realised. "I'll try my best to be careful when I'm there, then. I promise." Still, he wasn't planning to go right away because the mods told us to leave it a bit, wanting to spend some time working on upkeeping his life in the Grounds first.
— i melt into a sycophantic soup,
& all that's left to do, is giggle, fawn, and swoon.
The Voice raised a slight brow at that, though she still stroked Sam's cheek affectionately. "How quickly you change your tune when you see the consequences your words can have.." She would fight tooth and nail for her children. Much as she cared for Sam and while he could tell her anything, perhaps it was best in the future for him to be more careful who he expressed anger around. Especially when those someones were portal guardians remijigano.
"They will have never seen an ascended. You will all be heralds of me in these new lands. It is our chance to make a new first impression."
i am the ocean, crawling madly at your moon.
and with one wanton whoop —
His mothers words made him feel a little ashamed. "You're...right. I just...I don't want anyone to get hurt, mother. I don't want to be hurt though, either." With a sigh he hugged his arms and sank down a little, wondering if The Voice could see how gentle his spirit, his ambitions were, compared to a lot of the family; for a long time that had been mistaken for weakness, but now he knew it was something else. To stay empathetic after all that had happened had to be a sign of strength. "Perhaps...I.." He paused, chewing his lip and looking off, unsure if it was wise to voice this idea.
"I have been wondering...can you bring people..well, I suppose, back from the dead? If you brought Aoife back, Remi would both be very grateful I'm sure and Remi would have to like the Ascended then, right? One of the Portal Guardians being helped so greatly by us might really change things." Perhaps it was all a bit macabre, not to mention very naive, but Sam had dreamt about being able to lead Remi's daughter back to him (fuck Ronin tho), see the relieved smile on his face, know he'd helped. Turn back the clock. "I'd get..or do anything I could for it."
The idea of someone that had never seen an Ascended...it was a fresh start, one Sam rather liked. "I will do my absolute best to give them the true impression of you."
— i melt into a sycophantic soup,
& all that's left to do, is giggle, fawn, and swoon.
"Just because you can no longer feel pain anymore Sam doesn't mean no one will be hurt. It is the way of the world. The world that the old gods have thrust all your friends into. There is no gentle way to break out of the jail that they have made, and I will not see you hurt simply so that they can continue to rule this world as they have done."
Watching him hug himself, the Voice moved closer, an arm around his shoulders. "Her soul will be with Mort by now." She explained. "That is one reason I keep all your souls with me after you're gone...why you're tethered to me in life so that you can never be taken away. So that there is always the option to bring you back."
