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!
it doesn't matter where you roam, when no one's left to call you home
The ocean breeze held a chill, but the air was warm enough for the alchemist to be without a shirt. The smell and weight of the salty surf was heavy in his large tawny wings, as they stretched out from his shoulder blades, spread wide to catch the sunlight. But that festival was over now, Safrin's catching of the sun. Now was a time for ghosts and those lost.
Staring out at the horizon line, knee-deep in the shallows, Remi took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind. But a busy and messy mind had ever been the norm for the alchemist, and so obtrusive thoughts invaded the peace he was aiming for, just as surely as the waves continued to hum against the shoreline. Wandering fingers tapped at the mass of scar tissue on Remi's stomach where he'd been speared-through with a massive shard of ice, and for a moment the sweat on his skin felt like Aoife's blood.
i might have strained a bit too far, i'm countin' all the moonlit stars
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Really, Morgan knew she should be heading back to Halo. The winds even in Torchline had begun to blow a little harsher and it was obviously becoming Leafchange; she had been on this excursion far too long. Still, she rarely allowed herself indulgences and perhaps it was good to have the chance to clear her mind before returning back to what was sure to be a difficult year of work once again.
Walking along the coast, she saw in the distance a young man, not wearing a shirt; the sight took her a moment to adjust to. In Halo public nudity was a rare thing, given most people liked to not freeze their nipples off.
She wasn't sure what it was that compelled her to approach him; she'd never been sociable and he didn't seem to notice her - but Morgan felt like she wanted to talk to this man and find out more about him. After all, the conversations she'd had in Torchline had been particularly enlightening so far. So she walked towards him, standing a respectable distance away and looking out to the sea as well, before looking sideways to comment: "You look like a man that has seen some action. Moments of peace like this are to be treasured, aren't they?"
it doesn't matter where you roam, when no one's left to call you home
The alchemist considered this as his pale eyes starred out at the horizon, watching it blur in and out of focus. "Well, I was blind for a while, so I didn't actually see all of it." He said back, his humour having become significantly dryer for the loss of Aoife. Glancing over his shoulder, wings still outspread, he dropped his hand from his scar. In this position though, the thick lines across his throat would be more visible than they had been.
'But they are, yes. You never know when they'll be interrupted." He raised a playful brow at that, implying that she was the interruption he spoke of.
His tan shorts were soaked above the knee, but the alchemist hardly seemed to mind as he turned to face the captain, shielding his eyes to see her better. "Remi." He said simply, by way of introduction.
i might have strained a bit too far, i'm countin' all the moonlit stars
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Remi's dry humour brought a slight smile to Morgan's lips; she often gained a reputation among new recruits for being mirthless, but she simply did not like to make light of serious situations. Here, with Remi and the quiet ocean before them, she was appreciative of the laugh. "At least you could see this one coming." She responded wryly, glancing sideways at him.
He introduced himself and she nodded. "Morgan. Captain Morgan, in Halo." It was possible he was from Halo himself, or a native to here...or hell, a million other things; nowadays it was difficult to know wherever someone had come from, which made her nervous. "Do you live here? I wonder how the natives feel about the sudden influx of visitors from the portal." A lot of Halo residents had been irritated when it had happened to them, her included.
it doesn't matter where you roam, when no one's left to call you home
"Perhaps I should get my eyes checked." Remi replied with a roguish smile. Pulling his wings against his back, the appendages moulded into his skin rendering the alchemist plain and unassuming once again.
In another world, the name Captain Morgan might have made Remi make a joke about rum or such. Here though, he just nodded thoughtfully. "Is it the sun that brings you here then, as well?" The alchemist asked, having just met another Halovian not more than a day or so prior.
"I do, yes." He agreed, folding his arms casually over his chest. "The ones who come from the Hollowed Grounds seem to be the worst. They flooded through with a mind to change things. The rest of the world could still largely access Torchline by the ports, so they've not been so bad." Remi said with a shrug.
i might have strained a bit too far, i'm countin' all the moonlit stars
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Morgan watched Remi's wings fold away with interest; she knew Attuned of course, was not surprised by the sight - but she'd always found the image of half-human, half-animal people to be arresting. "Can you fly, with them out like that?" She'd never seen a person fly not entirely shifted.
She looked up to the skies at his mention of the sun, a hand over her eyes to protect them from the light. "No, not just that. I have simply never left Halo. I wanted to know what kinds of places lay beyond the portals. Though..." A little sigh left her and her lips curved into a slight smile. "I must admit the beach and sun have taken some of my attention away from investigations."
Remi's telling of the events was interesting. "I've never been to the Hollowed Grounds. What was is they wanted to change?"
it doesn't matter where you roam, when no one's left to call you home
"I can, yes. I don't usually though." The angel imagery was a bit too absurd for Remi's tastes. He understood the nature of her question though; there weren't any regular animals with wings that didn't map onto where human-arms would be. His wings gave him away as having a mythical shift, for those knowledgable to put the pieces together.
"They have a tendency to do that." The alchemist agreed. "I've heard that Halo is ... bowl-shaped, I suppose. Did your people anger the gods the way the Hollowed Grounders did?" It was mostly a joke, and yet if she answered in the affirmative, Remi wouldn't be able to say he was surprised.
"Oh, whatever was different." Remi said with a light shrug. "Keeping the portals closed, keeping the ascended from exploring around, opening up their own shops here, eyeing the government system."
i might have strained a bit too far, i'm countin' all the moonlit stars
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"It would be quite ostentatious." Morgan agreed, never having been one for showy displays of aesthetic or skill. Still, she couldn't deny if she had the ability to sprout wings from her back that she might use it more often than necessary.
She blinked at Remi's description of Halo as 'bowl-shaped', though after a moment's thought she supposed that was accurate. "Well, not as a whole people. I'm sure there are those in Halo that have angered the Gods...I may well be one of them, if Safrin's lack of response to my offering is any sign." Morgan looked up in the direction of the Lighthouse and the shrine where she had been so blatantly ignored with a displeased expression.
"...Hm." Portals and Ascended she could sympathise with, even if she'd come through to here herself. Still, she understood the want to preserve your home from the hands of outsiders. "And...what is the government system here? I suppose I'd also like to eye it up, if you'd forgive me." With a small apologetic smile, she hoped Remi might give her some basic information about who she might be dealing with in any negotiations (or wars, if it ever came to that).
it doesn't matter where you roam, when no one's left to call you home
Unable to help the way his jaw clenched slightly at the mention of Safrin's name, the alchemist exhaled steadily and shook his head. "Perhaps you didn't bring her something valuable enough." He said with no small amount of disdain. "Her attention can certainly be bought. I've seen it myself."
Ruffling a hand through his hair, he let his head weave back and forth as he tried to figure out the best way to answer her question. "Torchline is run by a Governor. I don't know his name actually, just that he's a man. He lives in a townhouse in the volcano." Remi raised a brow at that, as if to silently suggest he might be compensating for something by living somewhere so unnecessarily dangerous. "I can't tell if he's just a figure head, or if he just runs things from the shadows...but more or less the underground economy is allowed to function as it pleases. The...leaders of each..err.. group?" Remi fumbled with the terminology here. "..keep the peace as best suits their needs."
i might have strained a bit too far, i'm countin' all the moonlit stars
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Remi's clear disdain for Safrin made Morgan feel more comfortable with him; she had no understanding of the devotees she had met, understood much more those that viewed the Gods neutrally or with a negative light. Interesting that an Attuned would have that attitude, though... "You do not have to tell me this, but how is it one such as you, given your abilities by the Gods, have such an attitude towards Safrin?"
The information about Torchline's Governor was...interesting, to say the least. Morgan frowned off into the distance at the news the man lived in a volcano; she had little reference about what that would look like, but she knew well enough it was not somewhere you wanted to set up your life. "He does not sound especially intelligent." Not surprising then, that underground groups ran the place.
"It does not sound like my kind of city." Morgan stated, knowing right away she would find the disorganised and sleazy way of things distasteful. "You were born here? I do not mean to offend."
it doesn't matter where you roam, when no one's left to call you home
"Well, I could just be a selfish bastard now couldn't I?" Remi quipped back with ease, shrugging softly. The real answer was much more complicated than that of course. "Safrin...meddles in my life, indirectly. My husband was...a follower of hers, until he died." Remi hardly paused after saying this, the novelty of being married to a dead man having long since lost its lustre. "She brought him back, and oh, how very many strings there seem to be now."
Chuckling low at that, Remi shot the captain a surprised glance. "No? You'd not live near a landmark specifically designated as something which explodes with lava every so often?" He tsked a touch at that, as if she was somehow being unreasonable.
Tugging in a breath, Remi shook his head slowly. "No offense taken. But no, not here. Safrin deposited Ronin and I here a few months ago." Another strike against the goddess, his tone implied.
i might have strained a bit too far, i'm countin' all the moonlit stars
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"You could indeed, but I have come across surprisingly few of those." Morgan said with an amused smirk, shrugging her shoulders. In her experience, most people that asserted themselves as selfish or otherwise a bad guy were not actually genuine. Those that actually meant harm knew to hide it.
A husband dead and come back to life was certainly notable and she gave Remi a wide-eyed look, imagining a rotting man with sunken eyes and a noticeable smell lying beside him in bed. "What strings are there? I am aware the Gods deals can be..fickle." Maybe it was none of her business, but he'd told her plenty already and she was curious now.
"Oh. Then where you do hail from?" Morgan asked, looking him up and down. "The Hollowed Grounds, perhaps?"
it doesn't matter where you roam, when no one's left to call you home
"Stick around here and you'll meet more than a few." Remi chuckles back with an even shrug. Torchline has no shortage of selfish assholes and indeed, the alchemist is one, despite what Morgan believes.
Swallowing hard at that, Remi's suddenly awkward body language suggests that those aren't quite waters he'd looking to wade into with a stranger. "Requests in phrasing only, if you know what I mean." The sorts that sounded like reasonable things you could turn down, when in fact they were anything but.
Hearing she thought him from the Hollowed Grounds brought his smile back, however dry it was. "Now that I do take offense to." He said with a smirk. "Though that doesn't mean you're wrong."
i might have strained a bit too far, i'm countin' all the moonlit stars
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Mmm. I have heard Torchline is a gathering place for plenty of...nefarious types." Morgan wrinkled her nose, clearly not impressed by the rapscallions. "In Halo we deal with that kind of thing swiftly and with little mercy." She personally oversaw a lot of the missions in the Citadel and was familiar with the criminals that resided within it, could recite each name and list of sins with a militaristic proficiency.
She could tell Remi was uncomfortable, so did not ask any more; besides, she was sure she knew what he meant. From what she had heard of the Gods she knew they could be demanding and often harsh if specific goals were not met.
Laughing under her breath she raised an eyebrow. "So you do not care for the Hollowed Grounds? I've never actually been there."
