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 sun was setting and Oliver was hard at work, the glow of the forge illuminating the entire room, as well, a couple of candles had been lit to supply the darker spots. Rather than being hard at work, Oliver was seemingly on a short break. He had dragged on of his chairs outside and was currently hard at work with a sign. It had already been painted a lovely ivory color and now, he was adding in the lettering. On the ground next to him was a sign that read 'Open' that was clearly out drying.
It was a quiet night as of right now and Oliver saw this as an opportunity to get some fresh air and escape the intense heat. It also meant that he was now facing the harsh cold that DeepFrost provided. Bundled up in coats and furs, Oliver still worked as much as he could, the letters being painted carefully.
Maybe if he were lucky, he'd get a visitor on this fine night. He had a lot of energy to go and far more time to get work done.
I'll tell you my sins
and you can sharpen your knife
After speaking to the Voice, Amun had returned to the Hollowed Ground to figure out how to complete the tasks she'd assigned him. Since there weren't many Abandoned he knew well these days, he found himself meandering over towards Oliver's blacksmith shop. The other man was already seated outside, and the potter flashed a quick smile.
Tossing the metal orb he was carrying in the air idly, he walked towards Oliver "I was going to ask if you had a second to help me with something, but it looks like I caught you on your break." The Ascended's voice was oddly friendly. "Hard at work or hardly working?" While he waited for Oliver to respond, Amun inspected the sign, nodding approvingly at the art.
Flickering his eyes up at the sound of Amun, Oliver looked up at the man. He didn't seem to waste time saying hello, immediately stating why he had come to visit his shop. There were numerous things that Amun could be coming to ask for and Oliver could only hope that it involved his shop, but that didn't exactly seem likely.
With a smile, Oliver shrugged his shoulders. "Feels like both. I don't get many visitors so sometimes it feels like I'm not doing enough, but I'm also trying to perfect my work as much as I can." Not to mention how much time he was spending helping out with LongNight preparations. Fuck did he need a drink or a good nights sleep or really anything else to keep his mind off of the stresses of LongNight.
The paintbrush strokes were careful and calm, still continuing on with his work whilst he conversed. "What do you need? Just let me finish up with this sign and I'll see what I can do?" It was seemingly almost done as Oliver was now working on the last word of the title, halfway through with marking up an 'M'.
I'll tell you my sins
and you can sharpen your knife
Nodding at Oliver's words, Amun smiled. "Don't sweat it. I mean more than you already do while working." He chuckled. "You just opened. Give it time, and you'll build up your customer base." There wasn't a hint of doubt in his expression or his voice.
As the blacksmith asked what the potter needed, he held out the metal he was holding. "No rush. And great work on the sign." He looked at it admiringly again.
As he waited for the other man to finish, the Ascended explained, kind of, why he was there. "Do you have telekinesis? If so, can you lift this for me, and if not do you know who might?" There was a hopeful tone to the words. Then he glanced at the door to the "And how hot does your forge get?" He was weirdly eager to hear the answer to that.
There is a light bit of laughter and he shakes his head. "Oh you bet. It's honestly kinda nice to have a warm place to go to during Deepfrost. I can just take off like... a lot of my layers and bask in the warmth... but fuck is it sometimes sweaty. I mean, I look like a mess." He gives the other man a wink. "A hot mess." Before finally laughing and finishing off the sign. There is a light hum and he tries to turn the sign more towards Amun. "You really think so? Thanks. Here's to hoping it'll give me a small boost in sales." And with that he stood up and made his way inside, mostly so that he could set the sign down against the wall.
Appearing back at the entrance he nodded along and listened to what Amun wanted him to do. It sounded.... easy enough. Rubbing at the back of his neck, Oliver scrunched his nose in thought. "I have telekinesis yeah, and I mean... it's pretty damn hot? Hot enough to let me bend the metal and hammer it." Then something occurred to him. Raising an eyebrow he took a small step forward. "What exactly do you need this for?" It wasn't accusatory, far from it. It was almost cat like, the way he was curious. With eyes watching him and waiting for his response.
I'll tell you my sins
and you can sharpen your knife
Spreading his arms a bit, showing off his distinctly lack of layers, Amun just shrugged. "I'll take your word for it." There was a gently teasing tone to his voice, but none of the cruelty he'd shown Oliver in the past.
Nodding, the potter grinned. "I really think so, from one artist to another. And fingers crossed more customers show up soon." He lifted his hand to do the aforementioned gesture.
Leaning forward so he could look at the forge, he rocked back as the blacksmith returned. "That'll do. And I asked the Voice for another upgrade. She needs me to do a few things with this metal here to make it for me." The Ascended held the ball out, palm face up. "Have it lifted with telekinesis, throw it in a hot fire, and have it struck by lightning."
Grinning, he rolled it a bit. "But it doesn't look like your forge is at its hottest right now, and I don't want you to waste resources on this. Maybe just shoot me a note next time you're working and I can toss this in there?" Again, there was that tentatively hopeful tone to his voice that didn't really seem like it belonged on Amun.
Ah yes, the one perk of being an ascended: being able to survive this disgusting cold weather. It's nasty and Oliver envies Amun fully. "Haha, but hey, it's nice to feel the warmth sometimes." He offers the man a light shrug and a smile. "Well, I'm glad you have confidence in my sign making abilities. Maybe people will even visit just for the warmth and they will feel so awkward that they have to get something." That was a plus too and honestly, Oliver would take any visitor he could get.
Biting down on his lip, Oliver nods and considers his words. "Before I agree to anything... what upgrade are you trying to work on?" It once more wasn't accusatory and he was willing to help Amun out. As much as he disliked the Voice, he also considered the upgrades to be potentially helpful, though, he knew little to nothing about how they worked. Part of him also wanted to ask for something in return from Amun- would that be rude or narcissistic? What would he even want in return.
I'll tell you my sins
and you can sharpen your knife
Smiling faintly, there was something dark lurking in Amun's eyes. "I remember." Chuckling at Oliver's comment about growing his business, the potter shrugged. "Just gotta learn how to sweet talk the people who come by, no matter what the reason is." There was something amused and maybe a bit wicked in his voice.
Sighing, he lowered the metal ball. "It's an upgrade that will let me redirect and move metal around me. Should keep me safe from swords and maybe even arrows, that sort of thing." Cocking his head to one side, he gave the other man a curious look. "You going to help or not?"
Perhaps Oliver had forgotten that Amun would actually remember the feelings he once had. Oliver himself had very few memories at times and so often, it meant that he forgot that almost everyone else lived exact opposite lives. Offering the man a small smile, he leaned forward ever so slightly. "Oh really? Would you be willing to teach me some day how to do this? I mean, you are clearly an expert." Amun certainly won him over so Oliver knew he was fit for the task, only thing was if Amun actually agreed to educate him.
Amun's upgrade idea was very impressive and earned an eyebrow raise from Oliver. It seemed certainly very useful. If it were any other Ascended than Amun or Bastien, Oliver would be quite wary... but this was Amun. Yeah, he and Amun had some rough patches... but he also felt like he owed the man. "Alright, yeah, I'll try my best to help you out." And then without much warning, he used his telekinesis to lift the orb from Amun's grasp. The orb lifted into the air and he spun it around a couple of times.
I'll tell you my sins
and you can sharpen your knife
Raising his eyebrows, Amun chuckled at Oliver's request. "It's not a thing I can really teach you." The potter waved a hand in the air vaguely. "You just gotta talk to them. Ask them about their lives, compliment them. And when they mention a problem, or a need, say how your goods or your work can help them." Shrugging, he gave the blacksmith an amused look. "It's an art, not a science."
Grinning, the Ascended nodded gratefully. "Thank you. I owe you one. Two if you let me use your fire." As the metal began floating, seemingly of its own volition, he shook his head at the other man's words. "Just needs to be moved. That should be good." Amun reached up to try and pluck it from the air.
There is a light shrug and Oliver doesn't really bother to be upset over Amun's response. It is what it is and he's fine with what Amun has to say to him. "I'll try that out, thanks." Hopefully he'd be getting some visitors soon to try it out on. At least he had Amun and his need for services? Or well, asking for his kindness since Oliver wasn't exactly doing anything all that fancy for him.
The ball was spun and Oliver nodded, sounds easy enough. And with that, he allowed Amun to pluck the metal ball from the air, separating his magic from the object. "I'll send you a note the day that I plan to work, yeah? And you can head on over whenever you want. I'll even work late if you want to head over after sundown." It was the least he could do since otherwise, it'd be kind of sadistic to force Amun to head out during broad daylight.
Offering the man a small smile, he was fully expecting Amun to leave at this point. "I'll see you around? I guess." He had plenty to clean up in his shop and so, if Amun did choose to leave at that point, he'd simply carry on with his work.
I'll tell you my sins
and you can sharpen your knife
Amun winked playfully at Oliver. "That's the spirit. You'll get the hang of it in no time." Indeed, the potter sounded quite sure about that.
Nodding, he gave the blacksmith a grateful smile. "Great, thanks. Like I said, I owe you two." A quick inspection of the ball revealed that it was pretty much unchanged, so the Ascended just shrugged.
Tucking it in his belt pouch, he gave the other man another nod. "I'll see you soon." With that, Amun turned and sauntered away. There was an easy grin lurking on his features. This task was going much more smoothly than he'd anticipated, and hopefully the Voice would be impressed by his diligence.
