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 her time with Sunjata in Torchline, she had returned summarily to Halo, its icy reaches still so familiar to her. A mimicry of her beloved kingdom, the land she'd ruled over for so many years. Yet still so different, with no aurora in the sky, no bubbling pools of warmth to dip her body into when the cold became too much. Nevertheless it's as close to home as she can get which drives her out from the Citadel to explore the sprawling land of the tundra. It's as inhospitable as the rest of Halo, though that has never stopped Hotaru before.
Today she is dressed in her furs and boots, the dagger Sunjata had given her strapped to her hip and the bow she'd gotten from Deimos slung over her shoulder. On the opposite hip is the crop Frey had given back to her for her quest. While she'll happily hunt something down to barter with or store for LongNight, perhaps she can also utilize her crop again, just to make double sure that her requirements for Frey's quest are met.
There's a small herd of caribou-like creatures crossing the Tundra's snowy surface in the distance, and Hotaru trails after them, keeping the wind in her favor so as not to startle them as she pursues them slowly. Conserving her heat and energy until the herd slows and she can get closer for a better shot.
i'm not scared of your stolen power I see right through you at any hour
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
every shadow no matter how deep is threatened by the morning light
Today, Niyu was out hunting once again.
This time she would simply be out searching for Luxere and the other herbivores that roam the icy tundra. She would do well to stay away from any Ursurs and not fool herself into thinking that she could take down one alone, no matter how good her skill with the bow was. Years of lectures and reprimand had been drilled into her head, and for good purpose, as the massive bear was not only massive, it was also highly dangerous and responsible for many of the deaths of unsuspecting travellers anywhere in the icy wasteland. Dressed in her usual fur and hide parka that kept her warm and dry, with a machete on her hip and a spear and a bow along with a fully stocked quiver of snow white fletched arrows.
As she began to ready the sled, excitable barks from her dogs filled the air. Once she was ready, she unleashed the dogs from their kennels and placed the sled’s harness over each one of them. Once all twelve dogs were ready, Niyu gave the command and they were off into the tundra.
The sled sped across the sea of ice and snow, the well-trained dogs leading her to any possible locations wherever their superior senses could detect any signs of the luxure. As the dogs barked in succession before heading in a new direction, Niyu held on tight as the sled swerved towards their new path. They had smelt something.
The hunt was on. As the dogs gradually slowed down, she understood the signal and stepped off the sled as it came to a stop, preparing herself.
Gripping her bow in her hand, she measured the wind with a simple tool that resembled a tiny windmill and satisfied with its direction, she stepped crouched and ever so silently and closely towards the herd of prey in the distance.
04-01-2020, 01:13 AM (This post was last modified: 04-01-2020, 01:13 AM by Hotaru.)
Hotaru is certainly not expecting company on this particular hunt, but being downwind is a direction all hunters must follow, which means the arrival of a newcomer is hard to ignore. Especially with such a sophisticated, admirable setup. Hotaru can admit she is impressed by the sled and the magnificent team of dogs hitched to it. Normally she would not bother to team up with a stranger, especially with food and hide on the line. But unfortunately she also knows as soon as her arrow takes down one of their members, the rest of the herd will flee a considerable distance, which will rob the other hunter of a kill.
Now, Hotaru doesn't generally care about how her actions impact people, but old habits die hard. Especially in this land so alike her old kingdom. She knows the struggle of going hungry as the weather grows colder, and it's not a fate she wishes on the other person. Plus if they both try to race each other to the kill without knowing each other's positions, there's the (small, but not nonexistent) potential of injury to the other huntress.
Sighing in exasperation (mostly at herself, for being so uselessly empathetic) she spins on her heel and lifts her arm high into the air to hail the other person, backtracking to meet in the middle. As she moves closer it becomes apparent that the other hunter is a woman, and Hotaru drops her hood to bare her face as she approaches. "Thought it would be safer to join up," she calls out when she's certain they're close enough that her raised voice won't alert the herd. "We can coordinate a double takedown if that works for you? Better than one of us losing out." With a coy smile she readjusts her bow. "My name's Hotaru."
i'm not scared of your stolen power I see right through you at any hour
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
every shadow no matter how deep is threatened by the morning light
Niyu found herself half-surprised to find another hunter by the herd that had gathered up ahead. The individual had to be a hunter, that was just no other logical reason anyone else would be out here in the icy cold tundra, observing the herd of prey downwind a distance away.
She was not unaccustomed to working within a team, or with other hunters during a hunt. While she may be able to take down a Luxere on her own, there was only so much she could do alone, and hunting Ursurs was definitely not a job for any single hunter who valued their life. The other individual approached her to reveal that it was another woman, which earned a smile from her.
Niyu was about to suggest that they do a simultaneous kill of both different members of the herd to allow them each something to bring back before scattering the herd from the activity, but the other huntress was already two steps ahead of her, introducing herself first as well.
She introduced herself, giving her name to Hotaru with a polite smile before turning her gaze back to her target. Using her index finger to gesture at a particular Luxere, she spoke briefly. “That’s mine.”
Instead of pointing out a target for her companion, she opted to let the other huntress pick her own target. She didn’t want to seem arrogant on their first meeting, as first impressions go a long way to forming a long lasting opinion of someone. Niyu readied a white-fletched arrow onto her bow as she informed her partner. “Let me know when you’re ready. We’ll fire at the count of three.”
A beautiful smile is her reward as they come together in the snow, two hunters with strung bows and plans for meat and hide to help last the winter. And LongNight, if that is a peril the Halovians face alongside the Grounders. The name she is given has a similar cadence to her own, and she repeats it back aloud to cement it with Niryu's face and commit both to memory. From there it is merely a matter of regaining lost ground with the herd, both women focused on tracking and felling their given prey. Niryu points out her quarry, and Hotaru nods in assent, picking her own from the group and pointing it out quietly now that they are so much closer.
As Niryu steadies her own weapon, Hotaru does the same, notching an arrow and electrifying the tip with a touch of her finger. Just enough to help with the death throes, ending the life of the creature in a swifter, more humane manner even if she is slightly off-mark. With the string pulled back to her cheek, she counts down quietly under her breath to her companion. "One...two...three!" She exhales to steady her aim and releases the string, watching both arrows fly true to strike into their quarry.
Giving a fierce hum of satisfaction as the rest of the herd takes flight, Hotaru turns and gives a satisfied grin to the woman at her side. "Fantastic shot." Though she's not surprised to find a wonderful hunter in the depths of Halo's snowy reaches. It is a vital skill here after all. Trudging through the snow, she slings her bow back upon her shoulder and approaches her kill, satisfied that it is fully deceased before she kneels to begin roping it up for transport. "You have dogs, then? I've never seen such a method of transportation." Perhaps they can strike up a bit of conversation even after they have both finished their hunt, learn more about one another.
i'm not scared of your stolen power I see right through you at any hour
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
every shadow no matter how deep is threatened by the morning light
The other woman led the count and Jyon quickly followed, releasing her arrow at the sound of three. She didn’t wait to watch and see if the arrow would hit its mark, already scampering off from her crouched position into a run as she made her way towards her target. She knew from experience that as long as the wind was in her favour and her aim was steady, the arrow would meet its mark.
Her hurried pace caused her to miss the compliment from Hotaru, a compliment she would have been very much appreciative of if she had heard it. Who doesn’t like compliments anyway? No one. At least no one that she knows. It wasn’t just preposterous to find someone that didn’t like compliments, it was also just plain weird.
By the time she had trudged through the snow, the herd had dispersed by then, but that was of no importance as she had gotten what she had came for. The still warm corpse of the Luxere lay on the snow, bloodying the snowy white ground where it had fallen. It was then that she glanced back at her companion to find that the other woman was still making her way towards her. As she began tying up and fastening her hunting spoils to be ready for transport, she heard Hotaru speak up about her dog sled as her mode of transport.
Without pausing, Jyon answered. “Not many do here in Halo, but the Hlervu family has done so for generations, using them as a mode of transport out here in the icy tundra. With her spoils securely fastened, she made the way to begin lugging it back to her sled. “Heading back to the city?”
