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!
Morgan had been taking odd trips into the Hollowed Grounds for various purposes: visiting Deimos, escorting Neron to the shrine (once and never again) or simply going to immerse herself in the place and it's people, getting to know the potential ally or enemy. It was always good to know the people next door, after all, even if Halo and the Grounds were only neighbours via portal.
She had been on her way into Sanctuary when she had walked past a group of farmers having trouble with their crop laying for the new year: the ground was hard and dry, unyielding to their shovels; even just on her quick pass by she could see the men were exhausted. Some pity taking hold in her heart (she had, after all, grown up seeing people struggle with the cold, hard dirt often) she had stopped to ask if they wanted her help: they did.
It was somewhat refreshing to assist people who had no idea who she was. Letting the men go inside for a rest, she began to spray a fine mist of water over the field, gently wetting the soil without overloading it too quickly. This was a busy task, covering a large area, and she had to focus: Morgan stood at the head of the field, eyes closed, envisioning the heavy fog of droplets before her.
It would seem a few members of Halo's government were helping out their neighbours today. Chuy had become a frequent traveller between the regions, finding his skills in veterinary care and his knowledge of more traditional agriculture quite useful in the Grounds, where farm life that resonated with his origin story made him feel close to home.
There were other reasons, too.
He was flying overhead when he saw what was going on, the water being summoned from seemingly nowhere capturing his attention. Magic, he wondered, as he always did when he saw it, and then a note of recognition and surprise came over him: Morgan?.
He landed far enough away that he hopefully wouldn't disturb her concentration, but near enough that he could simply watch her work - he remained in his eagle form, perched atop a fence post, his attuned thoughts beaming a greeting to any of the others present who shared the gift. Feathers rose on their ends as he bristled against the mist that she stirred, but he held the form anyway, revelling in the sharpened sight it leant him, that he may marvel at her work all the more.
He'd shift and actually contribute eventually, but for now, he was a spectator, a low whistle crooning from his beak, a decidedly human sound coming from the large bird who lingered nearby.
The crops had had a good enough dusting of water to handle for the moment and Morgan was in the process of moving her hands down when she heard a whistle behind her, something which sounded almost human (yet somehow, not quite). Letting the last of the mist fall heavier than the water before it (it would be fine - crops here had to be hardy, just like the people), she turned to see what had made the noise.
Seeing an eagle behind her, she raised her eyebrows in surprise: while she was sure they existed in the Hollowed Grounds, they rarely got so close to humans in flat terrain. Immediately suspicious that this was more than a simple bird, she glanced behind her to make sure the farmers weren't watching, then raised a hand. "Hello?" If the bird didn't respond, then at least she only looked stupid to herself.
He would've smirked had his avian form had lips that could twist and contort into an expression other than 'intense stare', as the woman completed her magical intervention and turned to behold his feathered form. He tilted his head, letting it turn almost upside down before tilting it the other way, clicking his beak as his wings lifted slightly from his sides and his feathers puffed up. Then, he gave a whole body shake, sending droplets flying all around him, before returning his icy gaze to her.
As much as Chuy would like to toy with her, he was too honest, too kind-hearted, unable to watch a comrade linger in uncertainty for longer than necessary, when he held the clarity that would alleviate the confusion. So he spread his wings, and made to hop off the fence post - but instead of taking flight, he shifted, human legs stretching to stand beneath his torso, arms spread out wide, mimicking the wingspan they previously held, his expression akin to that of 'ta-da'.
"Hey Morgan," he greeted, letting the formal title he might normally address her by under other situations drop to the wayside for this moment. He looked out over the field she had dampened, at the relief on the farmers' faces as the rest of their day looked infinitely easier with the softened earth they could now work with. "Neat trick," he commented, wandering to pick up a spare shovel, as a way of indicating he'd hang around, to help out, and chat, if she wanted to.
"My homeland was in the grips of a drought for the majority of the last few decades," he said conversationally, perhaps to explain why magic, and in particular water magic always fascinated him. "To be able to conjure up and control water like that… Well, this world sure is different to what I came from." He leaned the shovel into the ground, testing how soft Morgan's efforts had made it, satisfied when it he turned the soil with relative ease.
Morgan discovered she had been correct in her guess as Chulane lept up and quite dramatically transformed from his eagle form to a human one. She had always been a little fascinated by Attuned, wondered what it had to be like to be able to take on an entirely different body and being - they all seemed to make the shift so easily.
"Chulane." She replied with a lightly amused smirk on her face, not used to such casual greetings after almost a season as Warden. Morgan looked back over the fields and shrugged. "A trick is all it is; there are much more difficult things one can do with water magic...but this was needed here, and I was passing by." It was nice to fix a problem with a simple solution for once, actually.
As he went on though, it became clear that water itself held some significance. "Your world did not have magic, then? Or Gods you could pray to for rain?" Not that she was sure their Gods would listen. Morgan watched the shovel and nodded, satisfied, at the texture of the soil; she turned to give the farmers on the other side of the field a thumbs up.
He was impressed, perhaps easily so, by the declaration that such magics came easily to her. He knew Morgan had some kick-ass skills with her magic, memories of seeing her raise icy pillars from the ground with virtually no effort flashing through his mind. The ability to shift into various animal forms was still fascinating to him too - which is why he did it at every opportunity.
Still, a little ol' Aussie thrust into a world where drought could be solved through sheer will would forever blow his mind.
"No magic, and gods were a concept conjured by man to explain things they otherwise couldn't, though later proved to be myth through science," he shrugged. He was a man of science, of logic, and being thrown into a world so reliant on a different kind of science and logic was one of the greatest hurdles he was seemingly forever overcoming.
He kept turning the soil after Morgan gave the signal to the farmers, encouraging the dampness to soak in, working it so that it would later be ready to receive seeds. Idly, he wondered if once the farm was happening, the ningo fertiliser it produced could help the Grounds yield higher harvests - it was all a part of the grand plan.
"There was religion on my world, but it was used as a way to control people, more than anything else." The distaste was clearly evident, as his tones grew more serious, a small frown creasing his brow, as it always did when he thought on the faults of his former home.
"...Oh." Was all Morgan could say at first to Chulane's description of his world, the idea of Gods simply not existing quite an alien one to her. She had never been on good terms with the Gods of Caido, never spent much time worshipping them, but they had always been a constant truth of the world. "Then...you must have a good relationship with the Gods here now, to be Attuned? Were you glad to learn of their existence here?"
Not knowing much about farming, Morgan stayed an observer for the most part as Chulane turned the soil. Once she'd seen him do it a few times she used her telekinesis to lift another shovel from nearby and do the same elsewhere, wanting the chance to practice more of her magic and to be able to still talk to Chulane as she helped.
"You sound like you didn't like your world." She commented, raising an eyebrow. Usually, Outlanders she had met were nostalgic or at least neutral about their homes.
08-16-2020, 02:53 AM (This post was last modified: 08-16-2020, 02:54 AM by Chulane.)
May your past be the sound
He tilted his head as he considered her observation on his current relationship with the gods of this world, reflecting on his experience at the shrine with a small smile - at least it had healed now, into a tan that he was more used to. "When I arrived through the portal, I discovered I was attuned shortly after. Not sure if a god here attuned me or if it was something within me all along, that was only able to express itself once I arrived at a compatible land." He shrugged; he'd heard both theories.
"I went to a shrine, to try and get some clarity. Got given some cosmic sunburn that stung like a bitch for my trouble." Honestly, he was a bit apathetic about the whole thing, especially now. The whole concept of it still baffled him at times, though the evidence of the Eirachi, as disastrous as it had been, had helped settle the idea in his mind.
Just as with the gods, magic also still surprised him, as he watched the nearby shovel float and begin to work the fields with a small smile. "Oh, sorry," he apologised as he kept working away. "I loved my world - I lived a privileged life though, not everyone's experience was the same. I was lucky enough to be born into a wealthy country, a relatively wealthy family, with access to education and opportunities galore." His tone shifted, as the small frown crinkled his brow again. "It wasn't like that for everyone."
"...I have never considered it might have been something Outlanders 'had within them' all along...I always assumed when one came here and gained a race, it was more akin to a random draw. I wonder if anyone has asked the Gods how it works." Morgan certainly wasn't going to bother the Gods with that question, but it was another thing to think about, to ask someone more devout than herself when the opportunity arose.
Aaaand there was why she didn't want to ask; Morgan wasn't sure what 'cosmic sunburn' was, but it didn't sound fun. "Who did you go to see? I've heard good and bad tales of each God..."
She smiled at Chulane's reaction to her magic, the shovel continuing to work away behind her as she spoke, the simple motion not requiring much of her concentration. "Ah. I have tried my best to make sure the Citadel is a place of equal opportunities for our people...I hope I succeed. I hear too many stories of struggles like you speak of."
Cosmic sunburn certainly hadn't been fun, and he was glad he'd managed to hide it from most. Now he simply sported a really very good tan that many on his homeworld would pay a tanning salon for - it didn't itch, ache or blister anymore, and that was all he cared about.
"If I ever meet one, I'll be sure to ask." He offered easily; it was something he was keen to know as well.
"I was asking for an audience with any of the Old Gods; I'm aware it was the Voice's doing that I am here at all, and I'm not sure what I'd have to say to her if she had deigned to appear." Would he curse her? Hate her? Ask her What the fuck? and then turn around a leave without waiting for an answer? Or would he thank her, for without her, he wouldn't be here, wouldn't know Kia, wouldn't be able to shift…
It was something he didn't really want to think about, comfortable in his pseudo-acceptance of his deliverance to this world.
He kept digging, kept turning the soil, softening it, letting the wetness seep through to the deeper layers where it would nurture the seeds the farmers would soon plant. "I hope for that too," he commented on the topic of creating a place of equal opportunity, genuinely wanting it as well, and to be a part of it too.
"You've never met a God?" Morgan asked, surprised: she supposed she assumed all Attuned had to have at some point, as they were the ones 'beloved' by the deities. That Chulane had received his blessings and yet not seen them seemed odd, but she rarely understood what the Gods did. "...Mm. I think I'd rather see an Old God than the Voice; she might be the reason why you're here, but from what I've heard, she can have a disturbing amount of influence over people and I'm not sure it's a good one."
She still found the Ascended, their willingness to sterilise their lives and follow their Goddess, unnerving.
With all that said, talk of equal opportunity made her sigh and reconsider her words. "Still...I have been wondering if I acted too harshly towards the Ascended when I first learnt of them, because their way of life unnerved me. It still does, but I must admit that as of yet they have done no harm to our Citadel. ...Not as a race." Individually, sure, but she could hardly cast aside a whole people because of Neron.
Oh, my love, don't forsake me Take what the water gave me
"Nope," he confirmed, somewhat amused by her surprise. Beloved by the gods, or so 'they' claimed, and yet his experience was all he had: Godless, scorched, only further pushing him to stand on his own two feet and rely on the strength of his own wits to survive. It'd gotten him this far, at least.
"I think all are prone to being influenced by things far more powerful than they are themselves." Old Gods or New, seasonal Spirits or cosmic beams of light; it was all bigger than Chuy could conceive on his own, every thought and discussion always showing him a new angle to consider, a new facet to observe.
He kept working, the conversation flowing easily between the strokes of the shovel into the ground. "I'm glad you didn't proceed with your initial plans regarding the Ascended," he admitted softly, the steps of tracking who entered and exited the city hitting a bit too close to the cruel, racist laws that littered the history of his homeworld.
"I don't pretend to be an expert on such laws, and while I know some of the history the Voice has had on this world… But I don't blame the children for the behaviour of the mother." But perhaps he was wrong, perhaps his own, admittedly limited, experiences were too small a sample size to make a true assessment.
"That's likely true, though as far as I know the Old Gods have never influenced something as extreme as Ascend. ...Not that I approve of all they do, either." Morgan had never expected to find herself in the midst of this kind of discussion, usually glad to stay well away from any topics concerning Gods, not wanting to involve herself with any of them.
It was clear Chulane had more gentle views than hers and Morgan did her best to listen and think, as she always did, not wanting to be bullish or overly insistent with her beliefs. With this topic in particular she had been humbled many times by other people's knowledge and experience, though in both directions: it was difficult to know who was right.
"I understand what you mean...tell me then, if you were me, how would you handle the situation?" The shovel slowed a little behind her as Morgan focused more on the conversation. "On the one hand, there are people like you, empathetic to the Ascended; I know our land could be a new start for many of them, unbothered by the cold as they are. On the other, I have people warning me of their history, of great plagues and wars that could be caused by these people. I have had little time to learn for myself what is to be done, and the one Ascended I do know...well, his choice nearly destroyed our Citadel."
Oh, my love, don't forsake me Take what the water gave me
It was a discussion that had turned into a topic he truly felt underqualified to even attempt to answer. Theological debates were all well and good when comparing Earth to Caido, but the gods here were hardly theological figures - they were real. It wasn't a debate of whether they existed or not here, it was a debate on whether involving oneself with them would lead to betterment or more damage in the long run. "You've not had much to do with them either, I take it?" He knew why Abandoned were called Abandoned - apparently the gods were jealous, or perhaps wary of magic naturally sprouting up in others, though he'd admit that he didn't quite understand why.
He kept digging, though he paused as he noticed the shovel Morgan wielded slowed, making the conscious effort to re-engage more wholly in the conversation, that had taken a more 'professional' turn. He felt like they'd both stepped out of the casual 'Morgan and Chuy' who'd greeted each other earlier had turned into 'Warden Aristomache and Chief Chulane'. He didn't mind it - his ever present sense of duty allowed him to easily shift into whatever version of himself was needed.
"Neron's actions are not something I blame on his Ascension, more a reflection of the kind of man he is." He spoke as if the man wasn't a friend, but almost a case subject in a scientific study. "Don't get me wrong, he made a stupid choice, that endangered the entire Citadel. But his Ascension was, to him, a way to get out of a deal he never intended on keeping, perhaps because he couldn't bear the thought of giving up an infant to the Eirachi? Or because he's selfish, and wanted all the grandeur while trying to dodge the hard work to get there?" He paused, letting his words just be for a moment. "History is written so that we might learn from it, that we might not repeat it.
"I can't, and won't, judge an entire race on the shitty choice of a single person. It's not fair to the majority, and you're right, Halo could be a lifeline for them, and they for Halo." He sighed. "Neron's actions were unthinkable, but they happened all the same. And maybe true redemption is impossible, but does that mean we should deny him that chance altogether? Or anyone else for that matter?" To Chuy, it wasn't about being Ascended or anything else - it was about being a decent person.
"No matter which way you look at it, applying restrictions based on one's race is always going to negatively impact innocents. As much as I am for behaving proactively, in this I think we can only prepare for the worst to come - from any potential 'enemy' - and hope that no such horror ever comes to pass." It was... a lot, he knew, and not all of it perfect. He didn't like not having all of the answers, but she had asked him, and he hoped he gave her something to work from, at least.
