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!
11-11-2020, 03:36 AM (This post was last modified: 11-11-2020, 03:52 AM by Alina.)
When we can’t control fire,
we name it “wild”
After meeting with Gideon, Alina had mused on his recommendations. However, she'd collected almost everything Safrin had requested by now. Although the Fae was still worried about approaching the goddess, the huntress figured not completing her task would be worse.
So she'd sent a note to Juniper, asking the other Fae to meet Alina at the edge of the Wildwood. She hovered at the designated meeting spot. Instead of her typical spear or bow, the huntress held a wicked looking knife. Its blade was black, as it was made of jagged obsidian, as sharp as it was brittle. She examined it for damage as she wanted for the ambassador to show up.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper was quick to respond to Alina's summons and showed up promptly, carrying her bow, her familiar old hunting knife, and the dagger Alina had given her. She was still getting comfortable with the dagger, but it was a very nice weapon, and she intended to make good use of it -- with her old knife as a backup, just in case.
"Alina," Juniper greeted the huntress, her tone light and pleasant. "We're going to go get the branch of a wicker woman, correct? I've been working on acquiring Ascended and Accepted parts -- a man named Gideon told me he could provide the latter."
She remained ignorant of the fact that Alina had already spoken to Gideon, not to mention Alina's successes in acquiring the other needed objects.
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
Alina nodded at Juniper's question. "That is correct." Turning, the huntress headed into the woods, zipping from tree to tree as her eyes scanned them for any sign of a Wicker Woman. "I met Gideon. He informed me he already provided you the Accepted parts we needed. I'm curious why you did not turn them over to me." Lifting her gaze from her examination of the underbrush, she stared at the ambassador.
Regardless of the other woman's response, Alina would shrug. "I have already acquired everything Safrin asked for but the branch." She continued to lead them deeper in the woods, as the telltale signs of the creature they were hunting had not appeared yet.
"How go the diplomatic efforts?" A flash of movement caught her eye. Frowning, she watched as a distinctive pair of wings appeared in the distance, though they were quickly obscured by the canopy.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
"I didn't intentionally withhold them," Juniper explained calmly. She wasn't particularly offended by the accusation she thought she heard in Alina's voice; it was unnecessary, in her opinion, but not worth getting worked up about. "I simply haven't had a chance to give them to you. After this, perhaps -- I didn't bring them today, as they'd just be an extra burden."
Juniper watched the forest carefully as well. She might have turned her attention to diplomacy recently, but she'd spent the last decades of her life making a living as a hunter, and she knew the forest well. So far, no sign of a wicker woman.
"Good," she said in response to Alina's success, and then there was that question. Juniper paused to consider the matter. "Things have gone as well as I could hope, I believe. I've made an alliance with Warden Aristomache of Halo -- we've opened up trade between our peoples, and she's agreed to help protect the Greatwood if it comes to that. And Governor Wrenzaok of Torchline agreed to the idea of placing the Ascended on trial for their crimes. The next step ..."
Juniper tried not to sigh or gulp. "I've scheduled a meeting with Wessex."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
Alina hadn't actually been accusing Juniper, just trying to gather information, not that the huntress clarified that. "Alright." Incling her head towards the other woman, Alina added, "Gideon's a member of the Order. He, at least, seems willing to ally with us against the Ascended."
Humming as she considered the diplomat's words, Alina swept her gaze across the forest. "What are we going to trade? What outcome are we seeking at this trial? And what will these allies do if Wessex and the Ascended refuse to be put on trial?" She glanced at Juniper, raising an eyebrow.
"You mentioned. Good luck." Snorting, the huntress' attention was captured by those wings ahead. Frowning, she sped ahead, catching a tantalizing glimpse of them and the Fae they belonged to. "It can't be," the huntress breathed. Because the Fae ahead of Alina and Juniper appeared to be none other than Delah.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
"Hm, good to know. At the very least he might be able to tell us a bit more about this mysterious Order, put us into contact with some other members." Perhaps another letter to Gideon was in order ... Juniper spent a moment trying to imagine how she'd phrase that before letting it go for now. Time to focus on this hunt; getting distracted could be dangerous.
"Food supplies, mostly, especially near the end of Leafchange. Stores to keep them alive over the winter. They'll provide adequate compensation in return, of course -- materials for our craftspeople mostly, I believe." At Alina's second question, Juniper frowned a little, a slight crease appearing between her eyebrows. That was the question, wasn't it? "That ... I'm still negotiating. They've both claimed support, but neither has committed to specific actions pressuring the Ascended, though neither outright refused the idea either. They will not intervene with violence, of that I am sure -- and I don't think they should. My goal is not to start a war. But I remain hopeful that they can help in other ways."
Juniper almost laughed at Alina's tone, answering with a certain dry amusement in her voice. She would need luck, yes. "Thanks."
Then the surprise, the astonishment, in Alina's voice made Juniper look up sharply, focus on what Alina saw rather than scanning the forest ... And she found herself just as startled as Alina. After a moment's shock, she managed: "Delah?"
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
Alina shrugged. "I wouldn't get your hopes up. When I asked what help the Fae could provide the Order he basically told me to figure it out." Scowling, her grip tightened on her knife until it was white-knuckled.
"What food can we spare? We're hunters and gatherers, we barely have enough to feed ourselves." Sighing, she shook her head, wishing some forethought had gone into the promises Juniper had made. "Ascended don't eat, nor do they need material goods. What other ways can be brought to bear against them besides violence?"
Shooting forward, the huntress tried to catch up with the figure that was unmistakably Delah. However, the former chieftain had been the best among them, and try as Alina might, she couldn't close the gap. Still, wings pumping, breath heaving, she kept at it.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper frowned to hear of Gideon's response. "The mysterious order remains mysterious ... I suppose we will have to figure it out ourselves."
At Alina's criticisms, she opened her mouth for a quick, angry answer -- Well, I didn't see you doing anything about it or You told me to do as I liked -- and then closed it. That wouldn't help. Instead, she took a moment to think through her answer. "We can trade the materials they give us in exchange for food from Torchline and the Hollowed Grounds -- to trade back to Halo or to keep for ourselves. It'll be a bit more work than providing only for ourselves, but if it comes to war with the Ascended, having Halo on our side could save lives. As for the Ascended ... They may not need material goods, but I imagine they do want them, not to mention privileges like travel. But you're right: it will be hard to pressure them."
As Alina sped up, Juniper followed, trying to keep to her pace. She managed to achieve the same speed as Alina at first, but soon found herself out of breath, unable to continue sprinting, and beginning to fall behind. "Alina, wait!"
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
11-23-2020, 10:24 PM (This post was last modified: 12-02-2020, 11:48 AM by Alina.)
When we can’t control fire,
we name it “wild”
Shrugging at Juniper's comments about the Order, Alina nodded as the other woman explained how they could deal with the issues her treaties had brought about. Alina hummed a low note as she considered it. Finally, she inclined her head. "I'll talk to our hunters and merchants about dealing with finding extra supplies for trade. You deal with figuring out other methods of applying pressure to the Ascended and speaking to the appropriate people about how to implement the restrictions."
After that, the huntress was too busy chasing the figure of Delah to speak. However, as the diplomat called out, Alina slowed and came to a stop. Scowling as the former chieftain disappeared once more into the trees, the huntress shook her head.
Of course, she was so intent on the hunt that she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. A branch snaked around one ankle before yanking her downwards. Shrieking, she twisted, trying to break the grip and fight against the pull even as her hand shot to her dagger.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper nodded, appreciating Alina's agreement, even if it came after some skepticism -- skepticism was healthy. Then she saved her breath for chasing Delah ...
She winced at the thought that her call had cost Alina the chance to catch up with the supposedly dead leader, but they shouldn't get separated -- and an instant later the Wicker Woman's attack showed why. If she flew down to help Alina, the branches might grab her as well ... but Juniper couldn't just leave Alina to struggle without helping. She approached cautiously, watching out for snares, but with her dagger in her hand, ready to cut the branch holding Alina.
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
The discussion was over, the chase had ended, but the fight had only just begun: Alina twisted and fought against the grip of the Wicker Woman. However, she was not strong enough to break free. It didn't stop her from trying to fly away, but that was mostly to avoid being drawn into the creature's embrace.
Luckily, it seemed they were out of reach of the other branches. Snarling, the huntress finally unsheathed her knife. Bending nearly in half, she started to saw at the wood, doing her best to keep her fingers away from the sap oozing out. "A little help here? If you're not going to cut, help pull me away." It was nearly impossible for her to keep out of the Wicker Woman's clutches while trying to saw the branch.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Right. This was not the time to hesitate or take caution; what they needed now was decisive action. Juniper swooped down to Alina's side, still keeping an eye out for any other branches that might attack her. "I'll cut, you pull -- I can probably get a better angle on it."
Taking out the dagger Alina had given her -- a fun little coincidence, that it might help save Alina's own life -- Juniper began to saw at the branch, carefully avoiding the sap. She tried to stay aware of her surroundings as she did so, but it quickly took all of her attention just to keep from sticking herself to the branch, which certainly wouldn't have been ideal.
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
The presence of the other Fae caused the branches of the Wicker Woman to writhe beneath them. Alina nodded at Juniper's suggestion. Straightening up, the huntress resumed flying away with all her strength. However, she couldn't keep up this degree of force for long.
Although the ambassador was out of reach of being grabbed as she sawed at the branch, she wasn't entirely safe. Another branch swept up and scraped against Juniper's ankle. The bark and twigs cut and peeled away at her skin. Seeing that, Alina doubled her efforts to escape.
And then, the branch, weakened by the ambassador's efforts and the huntress' movements, snapped. Alina shouted as she shot away from the Wicker Woman. She barely managed to come to a stop before crashing into another tree. "Juniper! Run." The fingers of wood still gripped her ankle: growling, she bent down to start peeling them off.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper didn't hesitate to obey Alina's call; as soon as Alina escaped the Wicker Woman's grasp, Juniper zipped away as well, hand tight on her dagger. She glanced down at the scrape on her ankle, but it didn't seem serious; she would need to bandage it, but escaping was more important for now.
But she didn't go too far, stopping beside Alina to look down at the wood that the other Fae was unwinding from her ankle. "Do you think that will be enough for Safrin? Or do we need to go back and get more? We could trick it into extending itself, then attack ... though that would mean using ourselves as bait."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
