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!
04-16-2020, 07:19 PM (This post was last modified: 05-25-2020, 02:51 PM by Loren.)
They say blood makes you related but
loyalty makes you family
Although Loren still thought Amalia was on a fool's errand, he'd given his word that he'd help her in her efforts to reach out to the cannibals. So he'd taken her from the Palace to Whitebrim. While she'd been finishing up with Morgan he'd dropped off the bread and gathered a few things.
He had his glasses on, as well as an amulet around his neck. However, he didn't know how she planned to travel, and was therefore dressed lightly, with just enough supplies to get him there and back.
When she arrived, he'd nodded and smiled faintly at her. How was the rest of the conversation? However, he'd always been more than a bit awkward around the Shield, and so without further ado had just turned to lead her to the distant village. Plus, he was more vigilant than he usually was, even in Halo. The cannibals had grown more bold of late, and so his eyes scanned the area for any sign of trouble.
Born from dark water, daughter of the rain and snow
It isn't a girl who rejoins Loren, but a leopardess, bag hitched awkwardly over her back. Already cold, she has given up on trying to resist the skin that was made for exactly these climes; now she breathes a little easier, the chill withstood by luxurious fur.
It was... Interesting. Morgan's instructions not to share echo through her mind. She seems like she has a lot of ideas for Halo. feels diplomatic enough.
She scarcely leaves a footprint as she walks over the snow . The town that rises into view is a tragic decrepit place. Is this... Where they live?
Nodding at Amalia's words, Loren decided not to press the issue. She has a lot of ideas about Halo, it's true. And she's never been afraid to speak her mind. There was nothing but a respect for the Captain in the healer's mind.
Pressing his lips together, he sent a pulse of confirmation towards the baker. It is. He crouched down in the snow, making himself a smaller and less conspicuous target. Stay sharp. There have been multiple reports of them attacking travelers.
Shooting her a curious look, he bit his lip. How do you want to handle this? Still half convinced this was a fool's errand, he would nevertheless follow her lead.
Born from dark water, daughter of the rain and snow
Amalia, too, crouches down- not the most mandatory act given her inherent camoflague with this climate, but a natural instinct nonetheless. If they're anything like the one we saw in the cave it won't be much of a fight, the Shield points out, shuddering to remember the ease with which Sunjata tore out the man's throat.
How does she want to handle this? The leopardess sighs, ears flickering on her head. Honestly... I don't know. I suppose I want to be sure they can't be reasoned with... Can't be saved. But if you and Morgan say they are beyond rescue... She trails off, looking at the village again.
What makes people like that? Causes them to... To go so wrong?
It might not be. A...companion and I came upon two exiles in the mountains. They'd...slaughtered a pair of travelers and were...butchering them. Unable to keep the revulsion, horror and fear from his mind, Loren shivered from something very different from the cold.
Nodding, expression clearly reluctant, he gestured for Amalia to proceed. Go ahead. I'll cover you if things go sideways. More like when things went sideways, but he very carefully didn't mention that to her.
Sighing, he shrugged. Rubbing the back of his head, he gave her a sad look. Halo is a hard place. Food is scarce, people are crowded in the Citadel, and tempers are short. Even a small slight can escalate quickly. Sometimes people just...snap. His thoughts were tinged with a sadness and a guilt, both for the realities of his new home and that he wasn't able to help these people.
Born from dark water, daughter of the rain and snow
Butchering them?! The revulsion in Loren's mental voice is echoed by Amalia, disgust and pity coloring her mind. She cannot imagine what could cause anyone to fall so low, to become such beasts. The need to survive, perhaps, but there much have been another way.
Still camouflaged by her snowy coat, Amalia nods curtly at his suggestion to go on, anxiety gnawing at her chest. On light paws she begins to weave her way closer to the outskirts of the town, hoping to catch sight of the denizens, to make some sense of this chaotic place.
As she nears a building the feline slips around its edge. In the lane ahead of her she can see two men, arguing over an unpaid debt in an accent she can scarcely made out. I don't like this, she calls back to Loren, tension in her from nose to tail. Do you think we should do anything? Or just let it play out?
Simply nodding in response to Amalia's question, Loren pressed his lips together. His own disgust and horror at what the exiles had descended into still filtered through the bond. However, he was mostly focused on their surroundings.
As they watched the argument, he shrugged. It's up to you. If we intervene, they'll probably just focus all their anger at us though. He gave her a quick glance.
You might want to consider shifting to human. It was an almost gentle suggestion. However, he kept a tight grip on his magic even as he turned so he could watch their backs, trusting her to protect him from the front.
Born from dark water, daughter of the rain and snow
She watches, transfixed, to this portrayal of human depravity. The two men continue their argument, their voices rising as their tempers do too. Unable to look away, poised to intervene, the leopardess watches with slitted eyes as two maddened predators snarl and sneer. Dimly she hears Loren's suggestion to shift and knows it is the right decision, should she choose to reveal herself; for now she remains in leopard form, clinging to the safety and familiarity of its strength.
The altercation ends as abruptly as it began. While Amalia watches the first man shoves the second; both sneer a second, poised to fight, and then the second man suddenly shrugs and walks away nonchalant, much in the fashion of an animal.
Puzzled yet relieved, Amalia returns to Loren's side, still unsettled by what she's seen and more eager to escape Halo than ever. I am glad you and Morgan have plans to put this to a stop, she intones through the bond. Should you need help... My offer remains. Walk me to the portal?
And with that she sets off to the exit, and the relative sanity of the Grounds.
