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!
05-29-2020, 02:05 AM (This post was last modified: 05-29-2020, 02:12 AM by Aisha.)
AISHA
there's something about your love
Part two of her mission to the Greatwood, her prayer. She'd heard about the shrine in the Wildwood, a shrine to the old gods. There was no reason she'd chosen this spot over any other, except that she'd wanted to go somewhere new, explore and get out of the grounds, maybe rustle her feathers. She'd gotten so used to the same damn grey skies and white snowy earth, the Greatwood had just seemed so inviting, intoxicating almost.
After saying goodbye to Sen, the fae woman who had so kindly lead her to the shrine, Aisha carefully began to place her offerings. Safrin had appeared last time, and Aisha certainly favored her, but she was in no way going to pick and choose who she asked for. Any divine allegiance wouldn't be turned down, unless the Voice happened to make an appearance. Even then, Aisha was curious.
So the golden crown, princess turned wanderer, warrior, and woman of Caido laid out her items. This time she'd brought food, all kinds, stuff she'd packed and traded for in preparation for this trip. There were fruits of the winter variety, supple and full, cold chard greens, a loaf of bread, and a portion of meat from the buck she'd hunted back in the woodlands of the grounds with Jigano. A miniature feast, that hopefully one of the gods would see fit to partake in.
Lain before her was the food, and her sword. Her new sword, shiny and freshly conjured by Deimos. A replica of an heirloom, a token a victory, a weapon she wished to enhance and improve. Not in form, as the delicate craftsmanship of the golden hilt and it's leopard engravings were already par, but in power. She sought a way to imbue her armament with a mystical art, to make it stronger, and in turn make herself stronger.
"I wish to speak to the old gods, for their favor and aid, and to offer my gifts," she said, hands on her knees and eyes closed as she focused on the pulse and rhythm of the forest around her.
Rather invisibly, hands (??) would snatch up Aisha's offered blade. A childish laugh pierced through the forest as the sword begun to swing in mid-air, poorly practiced movements, and obviously by someone for whom the thing was much too heavy. Haphazardly it slashed at nothing, comically seeming to move entirely of its own accord through the forest air.
It wasn't what she'd wanted, or expected, but it was what she'd got. A spirit, not malevolent yet but she wouldn't take her chances, snatched away her new sword. She gasped, sucking in through her teeth in an attempt to hold back an angry yelp. A cry and demand for the spirit to give it back. She'd only just gotten after all! Luckily she knew better, after the horror stories she'd heard of cursed individuals, forsaken at the shrines and left to the souls who preyed there, she wouldn't antagonize her invisible adversary.
Instead she swallowed her trembling frustration, turning back to her offerings and snatching up a delicious looking winter plum. "Isn't it nice?" she started, a soft smile her lips as her hazel eyes followed her sword through the air, "When you're finished playing would you like some food?" she held out the plum, cautious to the swinging weapon but praying she could at least leave here with it.
Petulant. Angry. Playful. The sword cuts through the air again, now dangerously close to Aisha, elegantly flipping the offending fruit from her hand.
"I know! Let's play hide and seek! If you find me you can have your sword back, and if you don't find me in three tries it's mine for keeps! I'll give you a hint every time, and here's the first one: I'm not leaving the woods! OK GO!"
Aisha has been challenged to a game of hide and seek! She has three chances to guess which board of the Greatwood the spirit is hiding in!
Her lovely new sword, swinging at her with such pettishness. She had to slide out of the way quickly, shoulders jumping with the suddenness of the swings. The plum was cast to the ground, and this time she made no effort to pick it up, granting the childish spirit the attention it asked for.
The spirit proposed a game, though saying no wasn't really in her cards. If she wanted her sword back, she'd have to play along, be the seeker. Her teeth clicking irritably behind her patient smile she nodded, just moments before the cue to begin was given and the aura disappeared from the scene. Shit, where to even start. If not for the kind direction and help of Sen, she wouldn't really have a clue, but the woman had given her some landmarks to look out for. The Mathair for starters, hopefully she could find it, she set off from where she was, picking the plum back up and taking a bite for the road.
There in the tangled roots of the murdered Mathair it sits, Aisha's sword in all its glory. And beside it sits a figure of green and leaves, not quite human, not quite animal, peering at her with bright purple eyes.
"I used to be friends with the Mathair. She would tell me stories. We would play on her roots. And then they killed her."
Rising up, the creature places what may be a hand on the trunk.
"If you want your sword from her, you must promise not to use it on anything in the Greatwood. Promise you'll help avenge her murder. Promise, and if you break that promise, know that the spirits will know."
With that the spirit vanishes into a gust of wind and leaves. Only the sword remains, accessible to Aisha with some climbing. Whether she promises or not she will be able to pull it out.
06-15-2020, 07:07 PM (This post was last modified: 06-15-2020, 07:10 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
there's something about your love
Aisha's lucky guess, or perhaps educated considering her input from the fae, led her where she needed to be. The Mathair, and upon seeing it Aisha felt an unbelievable sadness. It was strange, she didn't often recieve anxiety from trees, but something about the Mathair and her aura caused a ripple through her, a ripple close to pain that burned in her fingertips before disappearing.
She pushed away the odd feelings, hazel eyes coming to focus on a creature that sat in the mangled roots. Never in her life had she seen something quite like this spirit, it's vibrant summer hues and amethyst eyes, watching her with a feral yet graceful and youthful air. She listened quietly as the spirit spoke, wandering closer and marveling over what once was surely the most beautiful and vivacious tree in the forest.
A good guess could be made about who the 'they' that the spirit reffered to was, the goddess that Aisha scorned since she'd been taken from her home. Her children were a different story, though to think that some of them might've done this to the Mathair did bring a frown to her face, and a glaze over her opinions. To the words that followed, the spirit's request, Aisha nodded. She would give her word, and her word she always kept, especially when she believed in the cause
"I promise," she said, a slight smile pulling at her lips. A real one this time, not merely a ploy to amuse and please the childish spirit, but a genuine smile to accompany a genuine promise. She would never hurt any of the beauty of the Greatwood, and she would never forget what the Voice and her own had done. Moments later the spirit was gone, and Aisha was left with the mother tree alone.
With a little effort she got to her sword, still shiny and new, still devoid of enchantments, but somehow she felt as though it was all the more important after this interaction. She wasn't worried about the food she'd gathered and left on the shrine, perhaps the spirit would return and take her gifts for their own. Off she went, searching for a way out, and hoping the greatwood would grant her that.
