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!
While Morgan had always valued her own critical thinking and opinions, she did try her best not to let pride get in her way and to consider the words of others. When she had first heard Loren disparage his brother as a leader she had chalked it up to sibling rivalry and resentment and not thought about it much further, but something he said had stuck with her. That she was in the minority for having no doubts about their leader.
She had begun to listen to what the townspeople were saying. It seemed not everyone had the same faith in Eirachi as she did; they did not have the same unwavering loyalty.
Morgan was not someone who doubted herself, but with scant orders coming from Neron and such a chaotic time in their land being presumably left to work itself out...she was beginning to question her own unwavering faith. Rather than discuss this with anyone else who might further shake her vision or spread rumours of her questions, she decided to go right to the man in question. See if he had any orders for her, any commands, any ideas.
Knocking on Neron's office door then stepping inside (she'd never waited.) she walked to his desk in her characteristically direct way then stood tall and said simply: "I need to talk to you, Warden." Was there something different about him? Not that she noticed at the moment.
Unlike in so many other days or weeks since Neron's lacklustre approach to leadership, the man in question did indeed have orders, answers and ideas for his captain when she approached. The curtains were open in his office, as was customary, but changes had occurred. Namely, Neron's desk was no longer in front of the windows. He had moved it out of the light, and was currently reading through a pile of previously neglected documents when Morgan entered.
"Then speak, Captain. You know the value I place on words, and I would not mince any of them with you." Neron spoke smoothly, finishing the last words on his current paper before placing it down and lifting his gaze to Morgan. He did seem somehow more... still, these days. But there was no denying his productivity compared to recent times.
Morgan only noticed after she'd stood at Neron's desk for a moment that the layout of the room had changed, but didn't think much of it. She regularly reorganised her own spaces, knowing that a fresh room could often mean a fresh mind; if anything it could be a good sign, that Neron was still trying to work out how to fit into the Palace.
"You are not giving enough orders, nor do you have enough presence in the Citadel. The people are losing their faith." She paused, wondering if it was worth mentioning Loren and decided it wasn't, at least not for the moment. Neron would only call him biased, and he might well be right to do so. "I stood behind your leadership because of Eirachi's choice, but that is not an unbreakable allegiance. I need to believe you will be picking up your work in this position or I will soon be in here demanding you step down."
Words laid down she raised her chin and watched him to see what he would say, no fear or worry in her face, just a challenge.
Neron watched Morgan carefully, considering her gestures, tone and what she wasn't saying, as well as the words she did speak. He bowed his head in a nod of agreement. "You are correct - I have not been. We have heard little of Ingrid in this past season, and Peter was of course killed on an expedition. I have been indisposed with some personal matters, but those are well in hand now. It is no excuse, but I hope it serves as an adequate explanation."
The mention of Eirachi caused his eyes to narrow a fraction, but still - Neron was not so foolish as to believe all of the Citadel would accept the choice he had made readily nor willingly. "Then I suppose I had better pick up my work rather quickly. Especially with Deepfrost on the horizon. Besides renewing the people's faith in me, what else needs my immediate attention?"
Neron's agreement caught Morgan by surprise and lowered the tension in her shoulders as she listened to what he had to say, not having expected him to agree. She was not sure he was out of the woods yet, but his lack of pride was something she could respect. "It is not an excuse. With Peter gone I have had to pick up more work. We need another spymaster - I am not suited for training stealth." She was hardly a brute, but she specialised in battle, not subtlety.
He asked what it was he needed to do, and oh did Morgan have a list of suggestions. Since this now seemed more like a conversation she sat opposite his desk on the most nearby chair before beginning to talk. "There are a few matters. We will start with the ones within our own palace."
Holding in an exasperated sigh, she began with her first point. "I am not sure if you hired your own family as an act of nepotism or if you genuinely believed they were the best for the job, but Zariah is...far too volatile for the position she holds. She did not listen to my commands during our mission to the mine and her magic training is bordering on sadistic. Not only that, I hear she was once an unpopular ruler in the Hollowed Grounds. Surely having a person of such notoriety in our cabinet is asking for trouble if we need to make any kind of arrangement with their current government." After a moment's pause she added: "Loren is doing satisfactorily so far."
The next matters were less so due to failures or errors of Nerons and more things he might have missed during his...lengthy rest from duty. "Otherwise: the situation surrounding Whitebrim is escalating and something must be done soon. Preferably before Longnight as Loren has told me there will be issues during that time as well; in the Hollowed Grounds there are apparently monsters. I have checked this with a few sources and they all confirm it. We need to launch some kind of information campaign to keep our citizens from visiting. It would be a good chance for you to show your face to them - and I would advise you do it with Loren, as he seems knowledgeable on the subject." Suggesting that the brothers work together might have been a bad idea, but Morgan had little patience for family squabbles getting in the way of duty.
"Lastly..." The first sign of uncertainty in her, she turned to look out of the window for a moment. "There has been an influx lately of the 'Ascended', as they call themselves, coming to Halo. I am wary that these people may tempt our citizens over to their Goddess. I believe some kind of ban like the one initiated in the Greatwood may be of use, before our own sacred places are destroyed."
Neron nodded his agreement, taking a blank piece of parchment to write notes down upon - first and foremost, about recruiting a new spymaster. "There are underlings who did the job prior to Peter taking the position. Leave that with me, and I will get them back to their duties until a replacement can be found."
Hearing Morgan out, he let her have the stage in full for the rest of her grievances, issues and suggestions. He took notes as he went; regarding the situation in and around the Palace and in Whitebrim; Longnight and its monsters; the Hollowed Grounds; the Ascended... and then there was the matter of his family.
"It seems as though our efforts to quell the situation at Whitebrim have not been enough. Very well, then. I will organise a further expedition to prevent this from becoming an issue leading into Deepfrost. I trust you will join me on this." He had been sitting idly by whilst this all happened, and it could no longer be ignored.
"Working with my twin? My, times are changing." Neron's smile was crooked, and showed perhaps a peek of unintentional fangs. "That seems like a wise idea Captain. Alongside this - and between you and I - I will be preventing travel during Deepfrost in general. The Tundra is too dangerous, and I will not risk your soldiers in expeditions guiding civilians to and from the portal."
But now for the difficult part; Neron leant back in his chair. "I cannot deny that you are correct. I do not know what you have heard regarding my family and its past, and I will share it with you if that is what you wish. It explains much about their involvement." He gazed at her seriously. "Furthermore, I cannot ban the Ascended from our city, though I have no intention of allowing any overhaul of the Citadel's customs."
Morgan nodded, nothing much else to say about the duties of a Spymaster; as long as she was not left in charge of it, she did not much mind who was brought in as a replacement if they were capable.
"I would like to be included in missions concerning Whitebrim." She tried not to let her work get personal, but Morgan had begun to find herself angry at the exiles that had turned to such disgusting means to get by: she had survived on the mountains herself for a time and had never turned to human meat.
As for working with Loren, Neron seemed willing to try at least, so for the moment she said nothing else about it, though time would tell if the brothers could put aside their differences for the greater good. Neron did not specifically address her issues with Zariah, only vaguely promised to 'explain' his families involvement. With a clearly unimpressed expression she motioned for him to go ahead.
Lastly, the Ascended. Morgan narrowed her eyes at the answer, suspicious. "It may not be our choice if they gain strong enough numbers. I believe this is a threat we need to nip in the bud now."
"And so you shall be," Neron confirmed, thus closing the matter of Whitebrim and leaving the most tangled webs of all to deal with; namely, his family and his current state of being in general. With a measured sigh - Morgan was already unimpressed and Neron did not feel as though mincing words would get them anywhere - he delved into it.
"You know I am an Outlander. Where I come from my family are the equivalent, I suppose you could say, to a kind of cult." He scowled. "Obsessed with magical lineage, blindly serving the throne and tethered to it by a curse. Disobey and burn." Neron placed aside his notes as he spoke. "Zariah, for all her youth, is the head of that family. We were brought up not to question such things. Her training at the Academy is something you call sadistic. I call it tame, compared to the upbringing we were subjected to. So whilst I agree with you on many points regarding her behaviour, it is not so simple as telling her no."
Except it was, and he fully expected Morgan to bring it up. "As for the Ascended, they are no threat - of this I assure you. Having recently joined their ranks, I can and will ensure that they encroach no further into Halo than I deem necessary. Preserving the Citadel and its people are still the highest priority."
Whitebrim was a concern, but from the sigh Neron gave Morgan could tell there was something worse about to come and steeled herself, expecting to hear some bad news about the Citadel or portals - what she actually heard she could not have predicted.
She certainly had some thoughts about Zariah. Neron and Loren were both such cowards, unwilling to tell her no simply because of her powerful magic. There were ways around that; would they always let Zariah have her way simply out of fear? Her mouth set in a hard line she waited to see what else Neron had to say, but when he did speak again all thoughts of Zariah momentarily left her.
"You...you what?!" Morgan stood up so quickly and with such force that the chair clattered over the floor behind her, drawing her sword as if she had seen a great threat before her - and she had. This was beginning to feel like a slow creeping take over; from an Ascended queen in the Hollowed Grounds, the explorers in Halo...now their own warden. Her sword still in her hand, she stared Neron dead in the eyes: "Explain. Now. Or I shall call the guard to assist me in taking you out of here." Permanently, if needs be.
Neron had expected a volatile reaction from Morgan, and she did not disappoint. The Warden remained seated as she flew out of her chair, sword drawn, Neron gazing at her blade as if wondering what she expected to do to him with it. His only response was the slow creep of ice across the floor, the plummeting temperature; he had not given up his magic for a shiny ascension, after all.
But she had asked him to explain, and so he would.
"The reason is twofold," he said smoothly, his tone unaltered. "When I first arrived here in Halo, it was in the Tundra - alone, freezing to death. The Eirachi appeared intent on making a deal with me. Safety, warmth - leadership, even - in exchange for the low, low price of my firstborn child." He frowned. "What she intended to do with a child is not for me to imagine, but I daresay it is not good. This arrangement prevents her from calling on that debt."
As for the second reason? A muscle feathered in Neron's jaw. "I am also not immune to my past, Captain. Let me just say that the inability to feel pain will do much towards ensuring that Zariah does not get any further grip on Halo, or me. Now if you would kindly put your weapon down, we might speak further."
Morgan's sword stayed stock-still in place as Neron spoke. She felt the chill around them grow but was not too worried at the moment about the ice she could see out of the corner of her eye growing across the floor: after all, she had her water magic. If it came to it, she was confident she might be able to overtake it from Neron.
Neron's reasoning did not do much to help her disgust. So he had left one undesirable deal for another? Morgan did not know all that Ascension involved, but she knew it came with a cost; as much as a child was a horrible price to pay, entering another contract with a Being no less merciful about collecting payment seemed a foolish thing to do. As for Zariah? Well. He just seemed like more of a coward; maybe if she had grown up with the family she would understand, but for the moment she just felt that Loren and Neron were letting themselves be ruled by nothing more scary than a child's tantrum.
But while Morgan was angry, passionate - she was also smart and knew how to plan. Gritting her teeth together she slowly lowered her sword, though her face clearly showed she was not pleased. "You have acted foolishly." She said plainly as she drew it again and slowly sat, shaking her head. "What will you do when this Voice of yours asks for a stronger hold in Halo? When she wants to spread her influence here? Will you let her take our citizens to make into her experiments? You aren't even human anymore."
"I have acted in the best interests of those all around me," Neron corrected quietly, and as Morgan seated herself the ice finished its crawl across the floor, shining dully in the firelight. "Else you would be dealing with this palace, its citizens and my family alone, for I would have taken a short walk and a long drop off one of these fine towers." It would not do to sugarcoat, given the situation. "And that would have been foolish, I would say."
He raised his eyebrows at Morgan. "You act as though this Voice of mine is some reaper, coming to collect," he murmured. "It was no easy feat to have her accept my proposal. She does not take. If our citizens choose to ascend, it is precisely that, Captain - a choice. And I would advise you, in the interests of our people, not to draw your sword on every Halo citizen who decides to do so."
Still, she had a point, and he would address it. "You are correct, I am not human any more. I feel no cold, no pain. I do not need to sleep, I cannot be poisoned easily, and I am still able to wield the magic I possess. And yet, I can still reason, feel emotion, make tactical decisions, and I remember what it was to be human. What, of those qualities, make a bad leader?"
Morgan was absolutely certain Neron had not acted in her best interests but held that snap back, sitting with clear tension in her body and staring straight ahead at Neron, eyes hard and unforgiving. "We have had Wardens die before. We have managed." She said plainly, stopping short of saying that she frankly wished he'd gone with his original plan.
Neron insisted that there would be a choice, went on to list the benefits that the Voice could bring: Morgan noted that he did not mention any catches, any setbacks: it sounded too much like a sales pitch to be true. "We do not want our leaders to be perfect beings that will last forever. They need to be someone the public can relate to: that is not you anymore. Besides. There must be some obligation to this change. Some kind of downside to this transformation you have undertaken.
"Forgive my humour when you are so clearly angry, but do you honestly believe that the public were able to relate to me before?" Neron raised his eyebrows across at Morgan, the faintest smile curling across his lips. He was certain they had managed before, yes, but Neron had no intention of being ousted or committing suicide now, not any time soon at least. The Warden let out a sigh, relaxing a touch as he gazed across at his Captain.
"Of course there is an obligation, Morgan - just as there was when I was bound to the Eirachi. The price is always loyalty. If I stray from the Voice to another deity, she will snuff my life out instantly." Given that Neron had lived under such a curse before, it was a little thing, really. Then there is the inability to feel pleasure, or to enjoy food or fine wine. The sunlight would likely destroy me in an hour, too. So if you are truly insistent on getting rid of me, you need only sneak into my chambers and whip open the curtains one morning."
Shrugging, he could go on, but he rather hoped she had gotten the point. "Halo already has a shrine to the Voice. The Ascended created it in the Fangs without our knowledge some time ago. But that means there needs be nothing further in the Citadel, here. I would not stop the citizens worshipping the Old Gods."
