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 Sea of Branches was always so lively and yet she often forgot how much she enjoyed it until she was there. Her new friend Tishy was sitting in her hood, peeking out between locks of her hair at those they passed by. Cat Sith almost never ventured out of Ludo's Woods, so this was quite the experience for the kitten! And Delphia had a very specific purpose for being there - collecting materials to build her mother's lantern with.
As she strolled passed various merchants with their wares, she let the spirits guide her, directing her this way and that, selecting only those things the incorporeal guides beckoned her to trade for. All were things her mother would have liked and appreciated, usually hidden away under or within other baubles that were more flashy and eye catching. Once she had all of her supplies though, she found a quiet spot on a pier, staring at all she had traded for, listening to her guides for further instruction.
Loren had remembered the lanterns he'd seen in Ludo's woods. Seeing as his creation magic had grown strange, he'd decided to see if he could gather supplies to build the many lanterns he'd have to construct among the Fae. Although the village was closed, he'd heard rumors of a village and market by the Stonesong.
So he'd set off, Astra in tow, a satchel full of medicines slung across his back. It had taken him a while to navigate the Greatwood, but eventually he'd stumbled upon the buildings precariously perched by the water's edge. He wandered among the goods on display, occasionally trading his cures for the supplies needed to create lanterns.
He was just wrapping up the last of his trades when a familiar figure caught his eye. Brow furrowing, he made his way out towards Delphia, crouching beside her. "Hey Delphia." He and his luxere companion peered curiously at the kitten she had with her. Reaching out cautiously, he glanced up at the daughter of Mort. "Who's this?"
Delphia glanced up, hearing her name called. "Oh, hello Loren." she said, smiling at him warmly. It wasn't often she was surprised by someone's approach, so wrapped up she had been in her work. Tishy poked her head out from her hair further, peering at the luxere with far more interest than she did the man, lured by Astra's shiny antlers. "This is Morticia, the Cat Sith companion you helped me acquire. I call her Tishy for short." Delphia said with a grin.
"What brings you out here?" she asked. She had thought he was permanently in Halo now.
Peering curiously at the pile of seemingly random items that Delphia had gathered, Loren's gaze shifted to the kitten. Crouching down, he held out a cautious hand to pet her. "Very nice to meet you Tishy." Astra, of course, adored the daughter of Mort, but the luxere knelt so she could lower her head towards the cat as well.
At the demigoddess' question, the healer shrugged off the satchel. Opening it, he gestured at the supplies inside. "Looking for supplies to make a few lanterns." For a moment, his eyes grew haunted and he swallowed. "Halo doesn't have much to spare." He set the bag on the ground and shifted into a cross-legged position.
Tishy arched up to meet Loren's hand, pureing with delight. But her eyes never left the shiny antlers atop Astra's head, and at the first opportunity, she hopped atop the Luxere and curled up between them. As this went on, Delphia continued her work, listening to the whispers and emotions of the spirits, building her lantern in a seemingly haphazard fashion.
"I see. Yes, I suppose only things of necessity are easy to come by there." Delphia said, hanging crystals from the lantern she was building.
Loren scratched behind Tishy's ears and under her chin idly. Of course, he lifted his hand as the cat climbed into Astra's antlers. The luxere's eyes grew wide, and she settled to the ground so as not to dislodge her new friend. Letting out a huff of laughter, he settled into a cross-legged position.
Setting his satchel down, he began to pull out the materials he'd acquired. There were quite a few, as he had many lanterns to make. He glanced up at Delphia's words, though. "Physical things, at least." With that, he began to work on what was, in a lot of ways, the easiest. Edrei's death was distant, and they'd never been that close.
Still, he mourned her, and would do what he could to honor her memory.
Hers started taking shape, a riot of reds, oranges, and yellows, the colors of the fire she commanded and the life she lived to the fullest. "If you don't mind me asking, who is your lantern for?" It was out softly and uncertainly.
Delphia did not notice the antics of her kitten, or otherwise did not suspect her to do any harm at least, and so she did not react or look up as Tishy made herself comfortable in her shiny little nest.
As she continued to work, spirits whispering in her ears, her lantern began to take shape. Soft fabrics held taught by wire created the body of the lantern, dangling long on the bottom at uneven lengths. Rune stones decorated the outside, precisely placed based on the guidance of those only she could see. "It is for my mother." she said with a hint of a smile, voice and gaze distant as she continued to work on it. "Ludo's festival was always her responsibility, as high priestess of our clan. Though I know she still celebrates it, I make her one each year so she might be remembered for her diligence here as well." she explained.
Astra and Tishy seemed occupied with one another, so Loren focused on Delphia. His own lantern for Edrei took shape quickly enough: it was a flame, burning hot, oranges and reds and yellows and just a hint of blue. It was jagged and exuberant, just like she had been in life, and when he was satisfied he set it aside.
Glancing at the demi-goddess, the healer nodded in understanding. "I'm sure she appreciates the gesture." His voice was soft, a stillness having stolen upon him as he worked. Of course, he paused, not quite able to start Abasi's as tears sprang to his eyes.
So the Launceleyn took a deep breath and blinked them away. This lantern came together more slowly. A dog's head crowned it, the god Anubis that the mortician had explained was the god of death in Egypt. There were hieroglyphics, the few Loren had picked up from Abasi's notes that seemed appropriate. Ever so slowly, it took shape in his hands, a sad expression on his face all the while.
Delphia's lantern, completed to the liking of the spirits rested on her lap. But through her bond with Tishy, who was picking up on Loren's emotional state, she decided to glance over at Loren. The tears shone in his eyes briefly before he blinked them away. Clearly this lantern was for someone very special, and so she let the silence between them grow long before she stood.
"Thank you for sitting with me, but I am afraid I must be off to tend to Mort's bidding...but remember Loren; this is a time of rejoicing in the memory of those we have lost, not a time of grief. Be joyful for that which you had." she said with a small smile, before heading off and away, the kitten following behind.
Finishing up the lantern for Abasi, Loren glanced between it and the one for Edy. At Delphia's words, he smiled, remembering his cousin's love of life, and the mortician's reserved nature that hid a deep and thoughtful mind. "You're right." Surprisingly enough, remembering what he'd had and not thinking about what he lost was easier than he expected.
Feeling lighter now, he gave the demi-goddess a grateful look. "Thank you. And good luck with your work." Rising to his feet, he gathered the lanterns and the supplies and carefully put them away. That done, he turned to take the long walk back to the portal and to his home in Halo.
