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!
We're lost in the space between
who we are and all that we're trying to be
His words have never been meandering, crawling things, rarely getting to the point or to the heart of the matter. They were blunt, stark, and unadorned, incapable of frivolities; gave them a deeper meaning, a better complexity, a heavier anthem than those who strived for finesse. They also carried weight and merit, and he waited in the midst of his inquiry, not ceasing in his movements of cutting the timber, placing the ax down, and hauling the rest of the wood into the wagon. Giving her time to ponder, to wonder, as warriors often did – the impetuous, impulsive ones never quite making it to levels of leadership and precision.
The soon measures were enough, and he nodded. He made no comment about Outlanders; the Sword was one himself, and there’d never be any change to it, no matter how many years he’d lived within, attempted to assimilate amongst the people in the Grounds. But the opportunity for rebellion and sedition was far too infused in his entity to see the chance slip away. The hatred, the vehemence, and the lingering sentiments of revenge would always linger, until Zariah had seemingly vanished, been demolished, or vanquished. “If you need assistance,” a clear offering, a shrug to his shoulders, but the sentiment there. “A number of militia members and myself would be willing to aid.” To destroy; the Merciless a lasting threat in the back of their minds. She’d caused enough turmoil and turbulence to warrant more than a few willing souls to devastate her in return.
DEIMOS
Stop trying to show how to save our souls
It takes dying to know
How to live as ghosts
Morgan expected Deimos to be surprised, maybe to ask how she could betray her people or remind her of her place as a soldier: as it turned out, those expectations may have just been her own doubts coming into her mind, for his actual response floored her. Did people dislike Zariah this much? To be willing to throw down their forces for a war they didn't have to have any involvement in?
"..I will keep that in mind, General. Thank you." She nodded, not yet having any solid plans that would require the force he offered but beginning to think it was time she began to make them. "If...the time comes when I do need that assistance, I will send notice to Sanctuary: that is the name of the town here, correct?" So far, she had not felt any great need to go there, sure it would be a small town of hardworking people done badly by, so any given place in Caido.
Walking back to Eunike, a hand reaching for the rein, she looked back to Deimos with an approving smile. "I will be glad of your help should I need it. There are...many matters that have grown to be concerning lately. In this new age I am glad of allies I can depend on." And while she had not seen any proof of Deimos' ability or trustworthiness, she somehow found that she knew she would be able to count on him. Perhaps a mutual respect, the connection of those that had matured on the battlefield.
We're lost in the space between
who we are and all that we're trying to be
The Sword had come from worlds where the overthrowing of thrones and crowns was not a rare occurrence. People unhappy with their sovereigns often expressed their discontent, and he’d borne witness to more than one occasion of a stripping of a title (had gained his own shortly thereafter – Psyche’s failure on the battlefield leading to Ulrik’s contempt, and subsequent changeover). It wasn’t unusual to fight, to defend, to prosper challenges upon who was better suited to rule, or to find another power-hungry, greedy, avaricious for the seat of control. Sometimes it was successful, sometimes it wasn’t, sometimes the world tossed and turned within a moment. Happenstance, normalcy, for those like him, far too embedded and infused and carved out of these substances of vengeance and vehemence.
He wasn’t granted with outright refusal, so perhaps it was a step in the right direction. He knew a portion of the Grounders would simply like to get their hands upon Zariah for punishment, for a fragment of revenge that’d been taken away from them as she scurried off to her mission, landing in Halo, far away and out of reach. Morgan could keep them in mind, and maybe at some point, call upon them to manifest their hatred and contempt. “Yes. You could always forward it directly to the barracks.” That way there were no other means of interception; no one capable of warning the Merciless – though he wasn’t certain how many others would’ve still been tied to her in midsts of loyalty.
She seemed inclined to leave then, maybe she’d said too much, but he was not a beast that spread political propagandas; the notions and secrets tucked safely away in his scheming brain. He folded back down to grab hold of the last remnants of wood, dropping them into the quite-full wagon. The General had half an inclination to pry further, about these other concerns, but it might’ve been for the best that he remain silent, vigilant in the quietude. Mutual patterns and vestiges of warrior traces were perhaps the only reason he extended their abilities to her; trust at a foundational level, for neither of them would’ve survived without some notion of capability, skill, and strategy. Survival rang true. A nod granted and given, solidified. “Just send word if necessary.”
DEIMOS
Stop trying to show how to save our souls
It takes dying to know
How to live as ghosts
Deimos gave her instructions and promised his assistance; climbing onto Eunike's back Morgan nodded once, glad to have met the man on her trip into the Grounds: perhaps there were spirits caring for her path. It was a nice thought, at least. "Thank you. I will keep it in mind."
That said she turned Eunike to go past Deimos and into the rest of the Hollowed Grounds, for a brief ride about before she returned to Halo.
