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!
Oh, she surprised him. Maea smirked at his new question, a little smug to have made him slip up and wasted it when there were far more vital things he could have asked about.
"I've heard there is a lesser divinity worshipped in Halo, along with the others" she replied with a shrug, "and thought there might be others like it here." But perhaps she was mistaken... or simply did not ask the right person. Saiden did not strike her as the most pious of people (but appearances could be deceiving).
"Who governs Torchline, and what are the public opinoin about them? What are your main sources of import and export? Who do you trade with, what lands do the ships sail to?" Her next words were a smattering of questions, thrown out with a keen look of interest. Especially the subject of other lands made her eyes brighten, an almost hungry curiosity gleaming within.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Saiden shrugged, not at all minding that he’d asked the question. However, Maea’s response did cause his eyes to narrow slightly. ”The Halovians worship a lesser deity.” Tilting his head to the side, he gave her an appraising look, feeling like there surely had to be more to the answer to that.
As she rattled off a whole list of questions, he laughed. Raising his hand, he made a big show of counting them off. "One, two, three, four, five, six." Grinning triumphantly, he leaned towards her a bit. "By my count that's six questions. Now, I could answer all of them, but you'd owe me an equal amount in return. Or you could figure out which ones are most important." Mostly, he was stalling for time as he tried to parse all the inquiries, but she didn't need to know that.
"Yes... but I don't know much about it." She stared at him for a moment, not quite following what he meant with the statement, what else he might be expecting. Then, the light of understanding brightened her eyes - and was as quickly followed by a deep scowl. "Well. In a sense, I suppose some of those in the Hollowed Ground do as well. The Voice. But I dare say her Ascended are the only ones who actually consider her a true goddess. I certainly do not." Her dislike of the deity made her perhaps a bit less acknowledging than usual. She was certainly no god of Maea's, though it might be bordering on foolish to deny she was one at all.
It was easier to smile at his offer to let her rescind some of her own questions, but the girl only shook her head. "It was five questions, and I would offer five questions in return for them. Have at me!" She spread her hands in playful invitation, implying she was ready to be barraged in return.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Saiden's brow furrowed in concentration as Maea continued speaking about gods and beings that he'd never heard of. "Huh. Fascinating." Giving her an appraising glance, he grinned. "Tell me more about the Ascended and their voice." It was clear that he was eager to learn more.
Smirking a bit, he nodded in agreement. "Torchline is led by our Governor, and we like him quite a bit. Mainly we export fish and other seafood, along with tropical fruits. We import anything we can get our hands on." Shrugging, he gave her an apologetic look. "You'd have to ask someone else about the names of the lands we go to and the people we trade with. The captain handles those sorts of arrangements, and I am but a lowly chef." He was totally kidding about the last part.
"What are the governments of the land beyond the portals like? What are you and your fellow outsiders plans in Torchline? How many of you are there?" He paused there, wanting to consider his remaining questions before asking them.
"Hmm, I see. And who is this captain of yours? Perhaps I'll speak to them about these mysterious lands." His answers were concise and to the point, and left Maea feeling as though he was leaving something out. Not telling her the details. She was disappointed to not hear any names of new lands - she felt he ought to know at least some - but as he threw some more difficult questions her way, she sighed. Stood up, and let the rope fall back onto the dock where she had found it.
"Those are all very good questions, but answering them will take some time. Let's find someplace to eat, and we'll see if I can enlighten you a bit."
She smiled at him, hoping he had the time; Maea still had more questions, but was not about to answer him half-heartedly. If he wanted to know about her home, about the people who had struggled so hard to leave it, she would make sure he understood all of it properly.
Over breakfast, because she was starving.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Saiden smirked. ”That’s another question, which I believe brings my total up to three.” Laughing, he shrugged. ”Captain Jack. Of the Ark. Everyone knows both the ship and the man.” That was an easy enough question to answer, though he wouldn’t be an easy man for her to find.
As she mentioned breakfast again, the cook nodded. Although he wasn't hungry (he vastly preferred his own fare to anything he could acquire elsewhere), he stood up. Then he gestured for her to take the lead, a shit-eating grin on his face. No matter what she might try to do to budge him, he'd insist that she pick the place (or else fall farther into debt with him).
His remark was awarded with a darkly amused glare, but she did not object. Truth be told, she did not mind revealing information like this. It wasn't some deep dark secret, he could learn about it just by visiting her guild in the Ground. But he was answering questions back like this, and that was the whole point
"Captain Jack, of the Ark. Got it... we'll see if I get lucky one of these days then. Come on."
She led them off along the harbor until her nose guided her to a little sea-front bakery. It wasn't Deva's, but the bread was fresh and there was something other than rum to drink alongside it, which made it a win in her book. Maea ordered food and drink for the both of them, and settled in at a table outside, quite happy to be able to see the ocean while eating.
Once she was less likely to start chewing on the boardwalk, the girl leaned back in her chair and considered Saiden, assessing him with a thoughtful look, a pale finger tracing the rim of her cup.
"So, if I'm to tell you more about the Voice and the Ground, I'll need to establish what you already know about it first. Tell me what you've heard, and I will fill you in on the rest."
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Saiden laughed at Maea's phrasing. Grinning at her a bit, he shook his head. "Nah. Too easy." His voice was obviously quite amused by her words.
When she settled down at the bakery, he smirked. The waiter did a double take to see him seated there and he shook his head almost imperceptibly. The cook wasn't here to trade shop talk or anything, but it was a sign how well known he was among the food providers of Torchline.
Nibbling on his food, he sat back in his chair, lounging quite comfortably. He'd set the bag with his ingredients at his feet. "Nothing. Beyond that which you've told me."
Maea only gave him a non-plussed look. She didn't know what she'd said that amused him so much, nor why finding the captain would be too easy. She just shook her head at him and led them off. Once seated by the bakery, his clear lack of knowledge of her homeland made the girl sigh.
"Well, that does make it easier... and a lot more wordy, so hang in there." She kept things brief as she could, but there was still a lot for her to explain. Starting from the very beginning with the original races, Maea went on to describe the ascent of The Voice from a not-so-humble Abandoned into a goddess, her subsequent rebellion against the Old Gods and their imprisonment of her within the Hollowed Ground. She brought up the arrival of Outlanders to aid in her escape, the device that copied their existence into Caido, and the fact that it was still active. And she told him what she knew of the Ascended, who followed The Voice.
"About a year ago, a group was able to enter the Spire, ultimately bringing the barrier down," she said, trying to bring them back into more recent events. "Since then, the Ascended have begun to restore old Portals to different regions. Halo was the first, Torchline the second, and I believe there is also one to the Greatwood, though it can be reached by foot from the Ground."
She took a sip of her tea - warm and fragrant, though the rising sun would make it too hot for comfort soon enough - and cleared her throat, sore from so much talking.
"To answer your questions; what the people of the Hollowed Ground wants is to be free. To escape a place that has been a prison for generations, with no connections to the outside world. We have lost all information about the other regions of Caido, and even those who don't wish to aid the Voice in her expansion wants to see what is out there. Torchline, Halo, the Greatwood; they're all impossible dreams that have suddenly come true, and... at least for my part, I'm terrified of waking up again. To find that all of this... has been only that. A dream." She gestured out to the sea, to Saiden himself; it should have been impossible for them to meet. To sit here and chat over a meal like it was somehow normal.
"An estimate suggests that there are about two thousand residents left within the Ground. We've only just established a ruling council, led by Queen Rexanna. Halo has a Warden, named Neron, and I believe the leader of the Fae is called... Delah. I've never come across the latter, so cannot tell you more about her."
She settled back, watching him with keen intelligence shining in her eyes, waiting for a reaction. It was a lot of information, but... he had asked for it. Let's see how much he could take.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
It was indeed a lot of information, and Saiden’s brow furrowed as he took it all in. When Maea finally finished speaking, he frowned. Taking up his food, he at his, wanting something to distract himself while his mind parsed the knowledge.
Finally he grinned. "Well. If it's freedom you're after, you've come to the right place." He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "We're not big on rules in these parts." Grinning gaining a bit of a cocky edge, he dropped his voice further. "And anything can be bought and sold here, so long as you're willing to pay the price." He leaned back to let that little tidbit sink in.
At least she had answered his questions thoroughly. Maea was rather pleased to see him take the information in stride, relieved to see that none of it was causing distress. The Fae had not been happy with the Barrier coming down, and she had perhaps expected a similar backlash here. But it did not come, not yet, and it was a very good thing to note.
"Oh, is that so. What kind of price are we talking about, that might make the independent people of Torchline listen closely?" She smiled, a brow rising as she too lowered her voice; Maea might be naive to most of the world, but that kind of conspiratorial whisper was one even she couldn't miss. No doubt it was the kind of 'not big on rules' that her lover would be interested in learning more about.
"I've heard there is a kind of pearl that would let someone breathe under water," she went on, in her normal tone. "One that comes from a creature around here. Do you know where I might find one?"
Another two questions, to continue their game. This was the kind of play the girl could indulge in, however long he was willing.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Saiden smirked. "You just seem to be racking up the question debt with me. Careful. You never know when I might come to collect." Although he was joking, there was something underneath the amusement, something suddenly not so funny.
Still leaning forward, he kept speaking in a soft voice. "Well. Lots of goods pass through this port. But the real currency of Torchline is favors." That wasn't really a secret, but he very much made it sound as if it was.
Leaning back, he grinned, more brightly than before. "Another question! Must be my lucky day." Rubbing his hands together eagerly, he cocked his head to one side. "Yes I do know where you might find one."
Her eyebrows rose higher as his tone changed, some undercurrent brought into his words that she didn't quite know how to interpret. "Is that a warning, Saiden? Or a threat?" she asked with a hint of amusement, quite deliberately ignoring the fact that she just added two more questions to that tally. "I see no reason why being in your debt should be a cause for concern... but perhaps I have missed something." The way she looked at him was an invitation to explain, a hint of challenge perhaps; certainly the girl was not at all worried, if her relaxed demeanor was anything to go by.
"That is quite fortuitous... Now, the real question is... would you consider it favorable if I placed myself even further in debt, by asking you to get one for me? Or at least show me where to procure one myself." Her smile was all kinds of sweet and innocent; if there were ulterior motives at play, then Maea certainly hid them well.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
02-12-2020, 02:52 AM (This post was last modified: 02-12-2020, 02:53 AM by Saiden.)
saiden
Still smirking, Saiden flashed his teeth at her. There was something both debonair and dangerous about the expression. "Two more questions. To answer both at once, it's just a word of caution." It came out idly, as if they were discussing the weather. "Perhaps you have." It came out musingly, though his eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Now, that's another question I can't answer. Only you can." Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on the table and slid his fingers together, resting his chin on the back of his hands. "I can procure one for you, or help you procure one. But you'd owe me a favor in return." He raised his eyebrows as he waited for her response.
