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!
As soon as Loren had arrived back in the Citadel, he'd set off to find Morgan. However, the Warden proved elusive, out on her rounds. Eventually, the guards pointed him in the direction of the ongoing repair efforts.
Staggering over there, he finally spotted her in the distance. He himself knew he looked a mess: gaunt and pale, streaked with soot and blood, smelling of smoke, fire, and lava, and scars dotting his arms and the right side of his body that his healing hadn't erased yet. Still, his expression was determined as he forged his way through the snow to her.
"Morgan. Got an urgent report for you." His voice was pained, slightly, but his tone was firm. Although he didn't know where he stood with her--didn't even know if he was still the Grand Healer--he knew she'd want to know and he needed to tell her. Eying the crowd that stared and gawked at him, he frowned. "In private, preferably." Astra, trotting along behind him, her fur singed and soot-coated as well, bleated in agreement.
I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion
Loren had been gone for quite a while somewhere and Morgan had almost written him off as a runaway or dead, too many things to worry about for the moment to go looking after him: if he were in trouble, she thought he would have sent some kind of word by now. Neron didn't seem too concerned, so she had tried not to be either.
When she turned in the street and saw Loren coming towards her, most definitely alive, she wasn't sure if she should have been concerned or not. He was in one piece but he had definitely seen better days: it was odd to see him now that she had gotten closer with Neron, actually, the similarities between the two oddly stark in the moment, with the determination and seriousness in his face.
It appeared he was approaching her and she raised her eyebrows to hear 'urgent report', but other than that showed no panic or emotion about it, simply nodding. "Very well. Follow me - though I recommend you get a rest after." Hopefully, he didn't have anything too horrible to reveal. Morgan motioned for him to follow then walked to one of the undamaged bottom doors of the Palace, which lead into a small storage space. Until the hall was finished, it would have to do for a private spot.
"Go ahead." She said with a nod, crossing her arms.
08-17-2020, 07:16 PM (This post was last modified: 08-17-2020, 07:16 PM by Loren.)
Love mends even the broken parts
Nodding at Morgan's suggestion, Loren fell into step beside her, shortening his stride to match her. "I didn't think this should wait." There was something almost apologetic about the words, but his expression grew even more determined, if such a thing were possible.
When they entered the ruins of the Palace, he glanced around, and nodded again. Holding the door open for Astra, he let it swing shut. Then, without preamble, he launched into his tale.
"There's a tunnel underneath the Sea of Glass that leads high into a mountain range into a volcanic region. I encountered Wessex, Hotaru, and Kiada exploring the Sea of Glass. I thought it looked suspicious enough that I decided to tag along. We navigated the tunnels, which partially collapsed on us. Once we emerged into the volcanic region, we came upon a being, wreathed in fire, supposedly Eirachi's brother. Amalia appeared, supposedly sent by Vi, and the five of us approached." He paused to let that sink in.
"After an initial misunderstanding, we determined that the being had been bound by a strange object lodged in its chest. We removed the object, but unfortunately Kiada perished." Eyes tightening with pain, he took a deep breath. When he spoke next, his voice was steady. "The being was freed, and thanked us. After that, I returned here immediately and came to you."
I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion
"I see. I'm anxious to hear it, then." Inwardly, Morgan prayed to no one in particular that it wouldn't be bad news, or at least not news of some kind of incoming danger: while the Citadel was beginning to repair, she wasn't sure if it was ready to sustain another attack so soon.
When Loren did start, immediately jumping into the matter with news of a tunnel, she had to just stare and listen, struggling to take it all in at once: it was a lot. "I did not know Eirachi had a brother...you say Wessex was on this journey?" She was inherently suspicious of the Ascended Demi God and immediately began to wonder if there was some kind of foul play at hand: it did sound like there had been plenty of others with less volatile heads on their shoulders present, though.
She had not known Kiada much at all, only knowing of the woman from Chulane and seeing her briefly before Longnight, but hearing the news of her death was still sobering. Morgan put out a hand to clasp Loren's shoulder, a brisk comfort. "I am sorry. Do you believe...any of these events are going to endanger the Citadel? That anything could come up through this tunnel?"
Loren's eyes flicked towards the hand that Morgan placed on his shoulder. Dipping his head gratefully, he answered her questions in order. "Wessex organized the expedition." Frowning, he shook his head slightly. "That's what originally aroused my suspicions."
Brow furrowing in concentration, he gave her a curious look. "I had hoped you would know more of the Eirachi and her sibling." Sighing, he rubbed a tired hand across his face. "Or siblings. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if there were more of them." Realizing he was babbling a bit, he shook his head.
"I don't know. I don't know what else lies beyond the tunnel, if anyone lives there, or if anything might come through to threaten the Citadel." Pressing his lips together, he hesitated for just a moment. "If I might make a recommendation? Perhaps you should set up an outpost to monitor our side of the tunnel." Not sure if it was his place, he watched her carefully.
I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion
"Right." Morgan nodded, glad that Loren also didn't trust the Ascended Demi God: meant her instincts were at least somewhat right.
Never having been one interested in the Gods, Eirachi a little too much more than a spirit to be in her realm of knowledge, Morgan shook her head. Hearing that the Goddess had siblings was quite a surprise, as she'd always thought of her as something unique to Halo. "Probably so. Did you get any impression that this God was aggressive?"
Loren's recommendation was something she was already thinking herself, so Morgan nodded immediately in agreement. "That sounds like a good plan. Do you think you could head the mission to set it up? I am spending a lot of my time at the moment improving the Citadel, and you know more than I what we would be up against, if anything did come through the tunnel. You can have any resources or people you wish...to a certain limit."
Shaking his head at Morgan's question about the god, Loren sighed. "No. Quite the opposite, in fact." Rubbing the scars on the back of his left hand in a subconscious gesture, he spoke slowly. "He forgave us for attacking him when we first came upon him, shared in the grief of our loss, and blessed us when we freed him. The damage came from the environment and the god's involuntary responses to being bound."
Eyes widening slightly in surprise, he nodded slowly. "I can do that, once I've recovered. Just let me know what the limit is."
Hesitating for just a moment, he went on in a careful and tentative tone. "Thank you for listening to me, and entrusting me with that task. I'll confess, I wasn't quite sure where things stood between us." He paused, searching her features carefully for any sign of how she might feel about that statement.
I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion
It was good to hear that the God they had met had been reasonable: that was often not the case when it came to mystical beings. Morgan was confident the Citadel could take on most mortal threats Caido had to offer, but fighting deities was a whole other matter. "Sounds like a valuable meeting, then. This tunnel, how long is it?"
She nodded, noting his surprise but not commenting on it. "You can take guards and perhaps one council member with you, but I will need the majority of the council and at least half of our forces with me at the Citadel." No point leaving their home defenseless for a potential threat elsewhere.
Morgan was not expecting the tone Loren took, nor what he said at all: as far as she was concerned there was nothing but respect in their relationship. "Of course. Things stand perfectly well as far as I am concerned: why would they not? If you think I took any offence at your running against me for Warden, you should know I am not as petty as that."
Pursing his lips, Loren's expression grew thoughtful. "Good question." He rattled off the distance he estimated it was. Then he gave her a worried look. "It was part of a fairly extensive tunnel system though. At some point we should map it." His expression grew slightly awkward.
Nodding at her limits, he clasped his hands behind his back. "I can manage with a few guards, I'd imagine. I don't think the Sea of Glass could support an extensive structure anyway, so the outpost would need to be fairly minimal." Pausing, he waited for her to respond.
When she asked why he was uncertain of their relationship, he hesitated for a moment. Then he sighed. "Because I agreed to serve as the Grand Healer, then proceeded to take some time for myself?" He kept his voice carefully neutral.
I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion
"I'm sure I can find someone in the Citadel with the right skills." Morgan herself knew little about cartography, but would happily accompany someone who could on a trip to map out the tunnels. Perhaps it was a task Loren could undertake at his outpost, who knew - it would be best to know the layout of their new connection as soon as possible.
She nodded at his considerations about the outpost, not having considered actually placing it on the sea, but fine to defer to however he wanted to run the mission, Loren being the one that had brought her this news. "Then I will assign some to you this evening. Would you be able to head out in the morning to begin the work? Do you know roughly how long you might want to stay there?"
Personal issues were harder to discuss, especially given Morgan hadn't even known they had them. "...Honestly, I have been so busy and we have not needed any extensive healing...I did not think about it too much, but assumed you were doing something important." Probably an oversight on her part, but the last season had been overwhelming. "What did you do, during this time to yourself?"
Nodding at Morgan's words, Loren felt exhaustion beginning to steal upon him. Shoulder slouching somewhat, he moved to lean against the nearest wall. "Once you do, I can accompany them and show them the tunnels we took. Careful, though, a tunnel collapsed and we got attacked by giant rats." Reaching up, he rubbed his temples, wincing as the scarred skin of his hands rubbed against the scarred skin of his face.
Lowering his hand, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Two days. I'll need two days at least to recover. And probably no more than a week." However, his voice was far from certain.
Hesitating for just a moment, he rubbed one hand up and down his arm. Posture awkward, he spoke in a slow and careful tone. "Depends what you consider important." Not quite able to meet her gaze, he felt his cheeks color with embarrassment. "I was mourning. Weaver and I were involved before..." His voice choked off for a moment and he bowed his head.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to meet the Warden's gaze. "But I am still willing to serve if you're still willing to have me." His expression and tone were both hopeful.
I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion
"..I see. It sounds treacherous." Morgan looked at the scars Loren rubbed, frowned as she looked it over; with Loren being a healer, she assumed he would heal himself if he felt it necessary, so she did not demand he go to the infirmary. It did seem Loren at least needed some time though and she nodded in acquiesce. "Very well. I will send some guards out to keep a look for anything unusual in the meantime."
When it came to what Loren had been doing, Morgan was at first wary when she saw Loren's clear guilty conscience, the way he rubbed his arm, her mind immediately racing with thoughts of what he could have been getting up to. As he sombrely spoke, her mood changed and with a sigh, she gave him a smile.
Morgan had a reputation for being a stubborn, hard leader, but she was not unkind. "I did not know you were close with Weaver like that. I am still very willing to have you on our council, and we will forget you were gone for this time." She said gently, not seeing a reason to hold this against him.
"It was." The words came out quickly and with a great deal of certainty, and it was clear Loren hadn't quite intended to speak them. However, he nodded at Morgan.
Letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, relief coursed through him. "Thank you." Giving her a grateful look, he pushed off the wall he'd been leaning against.
"I will meet the builders and the guards at the gate in two days and lead them to the cave entrance." With that he began to walk towards the exit. However, he paused and glanced back over his shoulder at the Warden. "In the meantime, if you need me, I'll probably be at the Kraai." With that, he was gone.
08-24-2020, 08:09 PM (This post was last modified: 08-24-2020, 08:09 PM by Morgan.)
I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion
It was clear Loren was relieved (which did make Morgan wonder what it was he had expected from her - seething rage?) and Morgan let him go, glad to have another member back in her council, another arrow in her quiver.
While she probably wouldn't go to see him in the Kraai (close proximity to Neron with Loren nearby sounded hellish), she still nodded."Alright. Thank you, for coming to see me about this."
