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!
11-20-2020, 05:08 AM (This post was last modified: 11-20-2020, 07:22 AM by Aurelia.)
AURELIA
and my hands aren't clean maybe they never will be
The Leafchange weather was plenty mild to allow for an evening spent down by the water. Aurelia strategically placed a few dried branches and leaves over the beginnings of a fire, which she'd lit by way of a match. Patiently, she fanned the flames until she was satisfied that it would take by itself. She was fairly out of the way of everything but, she could still see the lit-up dock outlined clearly against the night sky.
She had set a burlap sack off to the side, which she retrieved then. Unfastening the string wound around it, she pulled a few different things out; small pieces of wood, more string, a clean rag, a small bottle of liqour, her knife, some bread rolls, and an apple. She pushed the bottle about halfway into the sand to her left, leaving it there for later.
Relaxing, she settled into the sands. She intended to start by eating her food but, as she looked over the other items, she picked up one of the chunks of wood. Rolling it over in her hand, she frowned.
The fire had taken quite well, with what she had fed it. The area around it glowed from its amber light. With her free hand, she grabbed the apple and bit into it. In that same instance, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps across the sand. Turning her face, she looked to see who it was.
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
Gideon had come away from the bar after a drink or two, enacting the self control he could muster to get himself out and home earlier and in possession of most of his senses. With everything that was happened at the moment, the mounting tensions surrounding all of them, he knew it was foolish to let himself get drunk, to make himself vulnerable...and yet, one whiff of the air by a bar and he was in.
It really was getting to be a problem, but it was one he was managing. For now.
Having decided to go for a beach walk to sober up before teleporting home, he was walking slowly across the sands. His mind had gone to the season, to the Ludo doll he had yet to make, then to the driftwood on the shore; before long Gideon was picking up pieces that he thought could do, a rag wrapped around them and maybe a touch of paint; he had never been creative, but maybe the unique choice of method would earn him some favour.
Clutching a particularly interesting, knotty piece, he stopped as he saw a figure before him; when he realised who it was, Gideon walked forward with an easy smile. "Aurelia! Fancy seeing you here. How are you?" He greeted, all casual and calm despite the rather dramatic subject of their last meeting.
and my hands aren't clean maybe they never will be
At the sight of someone unexpected, Aurelia raised her brow in pleasant surprise, "Gideon?" She finished the bite of apple and offered him a wave with the hand that was still gripping a piece of its own driftwood. They hadn't ended their first run-in together on a particularly happy note and she wasn't sure if or when she'd ever see the priest again. But, there was an odd sense of friendship she felt towards him. They shared a secret; small as it was, that required a certain amount of trust and respect. So Gideon's appearance was a welcome and, strangely comforting, surprise.
She returned his smile with a small one of her own and said, gesturing the wood towards the docks, "Well, I work on one of the ships over there so... you'll probably see me here a lot." She shrugged her shoulders then, "I'm doing a bit better with my current... situation, at least. How've you been?" She took a small bite of the apple as she awaited his answer. There was plenty of room around the medium-sized fire, and she'd chosen a pretty clear area to set it up at. There were no seats but, the sand would do, so she gestured towards it, "If you aren't in any rush, feel free to stay a while."
but they can still carry you home when you're ready to sleep
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
"The very same." He confirmed, taking the final few steps towards her and going to sit down on the sand, slowly lowering herself down with the groan of someone middle aged and familiar with a bad back. Still, Gideon didn't let it phase him, looking over to the docks as she pointed them out and nodding; he was aware that many ships in Torchline operated in...unsavoury trades, but didn't ask any more of it. That was her business.
That, and he didn't want to become the target of whatever mafia was boss right now.
"How have you settled in?" Gideon asked, leaning back and resting his arm over his knees. She certainly seemed more comfortable now than she had the first time he'd met her, so something had to have gone right, as she said. As for himself, he shrugged and tilted his head left and right, holding up the piece of driftwood he had taken. "I'm alright...took this wood to make a doll of Ludo. I don't suppose you'll have been here long enough to be taking part in the seasonal activities?"
11-29-2020, 09:02 AM (This post was last modified: 11-29-2020, 09:03 AM by Aurelia.)
AURELIA
and my hands aren't clean maybe they never will be
Aurelia set down the apple on the burlap sack, beside all the tools strewn out across it, and wiped her hands together to shake off any remaining fruit particles. She reached over to the bottle she'd placed in the sand, though she simply held it for the time being.
She shrugged, thinking back to her initial attitude upon first meeting Gideon. She didn't want to carry that bitterness with her anymore, even if it was well-placed and still festered deep in her heart. "I'm trying to move on with the hand I've been dealt, I guess..."
She took notice of the driftwood he held in his hand, so similar to the pieces she had picked out for her own doll. She smiled in pleasant surprise once again, laughing softly, "Actually, I am participating. I can't say I much like Ludo. Being reminded of everyone I've lost so soon after losing them is a new kind of salt in the wound. But, I'm trying to make a good impression on the people here so... what better way to do that than... make a weird little doll?" She paused, twisting open the cap of the bottle and gesturing towards the array of tools to tinker with, "I have some more stuff here if you need anything."
She took a small swig, frowning at the strong taste of alcohol. She went to put it back down with the cap back on when she realized that she had a guest with her. Holding it up towards where Gideon hunkered down in the sand, she gave him a humorous look, "Is it wrong to ask a priest if he wants to partake?"
but they can still carry you home when you're ready to sleep
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
Gideon nodded at Aurelia's humble response; Outlanders did indeed have a difficult hand upon entering Caido. He knew that many of his fellow Order members held disdain for them as those handpicked by the Voice, but seeing a potential in them for more devout, he was willing to listen and attempt to help them through the first awkward seasons to fitting into their new lives.
"Serving Ludo does always involve some mourning, somewhere." He agreed, thinking back to his own festivals and prayers to the God, none of which he regretted, but many of which had been hard. "And in this season more than ever. I'm sure your doll will make a good impression. In your old world, did you have events to honour the dead?" Gideon thought about promising her the potential appearance of a 'ghost' at the festival of Lights, but kept his mouth shut; he had no way to guarantee it, and did Ludo even know how to become the dead of those from other worlds?
He looked over to her tray of supplies. "Maybe just a little knife to try and carve with. I did once whittle wood regularly, when I was a much younger man..." With a lot more spare time, tough workers hands and intentions towards something like art or philosophy without the structure of religion that his maturity had given him.
As for the bottle...he knew it was a mistake to take more once he'd already stopped drinking for the day, but well. It was only polite, when it was offered, wasn't it? "I'm not sure I understand. Is it forbidden in your world for Priests to drink? There's no rules on that here; in fact Frey encourages it." Gladly, he reached for the bottle.
and my hands aren't clean maybe they never will be
Aurelia paused at his question, thinking back to her home world and her city. "Nothing like this," she grumbled, as if she were bitter that was the case. Perhaps she didn't mind the Ludo celebration as much as she led on.
Reaching down, she grabbed her knife. It had come with her to Caido from her old world. It had been crafted by her own father, a gift for her late mother. How fitting that she should use it for making the doll and the lantern. It was a simple, yet elegant multi-purpose blade. The handle was finely crafted with all the love and care that a husband could put into such a gift. A small symbol of a flame was carved into the top of the handle. Aurelia's gaze traveled away from it and up to Gideon, as she turned the blade towards her and gave it to him.
"Death wasn't something we dwelled on. It's something that happened, and it happened a lot. Cities and passages were built under the ground so that people didn't have to go up to the surface for any reason, except for exploration or hunting. But if you surfaced? It's the stuff of nightmares," she shook her head and looked back over her assortment of items. She wouldn't go into too many details unless he pried for them. It was an unpleasant subject for her, to recall all the different ways a person could die just from stepping aboveground, "but it's not like the cities were much better. If you didn't die from being eaten alive by wild animals, you got sick from working in the factories, or you starved on the streets."
"Oh... Priests in my world stayed sober...at least, publicly," she shrugged, glancing back up at him as he took the bottle. "They'd encourage people not to drink or smoke or anything, 'for God will provide' and all that. They'd say your soul was unclean if you did, and you'd have to wash yourself free of your sins. Whatever that means, I don't really know; I didn't spend much time with those types of people and they didn't bother too much with people like me."
Her eyes kept going back to the same piece of driftwood in front of her lap. It was large and bulky, a little too much for what would be desirable from a doll. But at the top center, the wood smoothed out over a small ridge. It looked like a child's face, innocent and young. But the details were lacking, and so it looked almost ghostly; unidentifiable, just another lost face. She'd have to use the knife to make the piece permissible for use, but she had an idea that she thought might work.
"What're you planning on doing for your doll?" She rested her chin in her hand and looked back at Gideon, interested to see what progress he might've been making.
but they can still carry you home when you're ready to sleep
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
Taking the offered knife and lifting the driftwood to begin chipping away at the sides, Gideon listened to Aurelia speak on her world's attitudes about death. It certainly sounded like it had been a heavy presence there, the description she gave of day to day life very grim indeed. "You must have done some mourning though, even just on a personal level, for anyone you were close to?" It was hard to imagine no funerals, no ritual at all.
It seemed the priests in her world had had different priorities. "While I think it's good to spend more time praying than doing anything self indulgent...nothing wrong with indulging if you know how to balance it." As if to prove the point, he raised the bottle in a short cheers before knocking back a swig of whatever she had.
Passing back the bottle, he looked down at what he held in his hands, the beginnings of something, though it certainly looked nothing like Ludo right now. "Hopefully, something vaguely person like I can cover with a black cloth. Not that Ludo is person shaped...but it'll do, for a doll." Gideon looked up to Aurelia then, wondering if she even had any idea what it was Ludo looked like. "Do you know what your doll needs to look like?"
12-03-2020, 08:50 PM (This post was last modified: 12-03-2020, 08:56 PM by Aurelia.)
AURELIA
and my hands aren't clean maybe they never will be
Aurelia tilted her head in consideration, shrugging one shoulder towards her chin. "Well, yes. Everyone had their ways of dealing with things. But, the cities forced us to turn in any bodies - if there were any. I still don't know what they'd do with them. They sent them up to the surface for the vultures to eat, for all I know. Usually, I kept momentos; to keep memories alive." She nodded towards the knife he was holding, her voice gentled, "That was a gift from my father to my mother. He made it not long before he died, when I was very young... there's an inscription on the blade."
If Gideon was curious and looked closer, in petite cursive along the center of the blade were the words 'So do not fear, my love, for I am with you'. Aurelia read those words every day, would run the tip of her finger along the minute ridges; would feel the fine, careful work of her father's hands. They'd always been a comforting message to her but, now when she looked at them and looked back on the timeline of how her history had been shaped, they felt more like a warning of what was to come. Did he know?
She nodded at Gideon's opinion on the religious practices of her world versus how he preferred to handle things like that here. Aurelia shrugged; it's not like she ever agreed with it. "Why not?" she chuckled to herself, taking back the small bottle of rum, "I'm glad the priests here aren't so uptight. I don't suppose you're above preaching, though, huh?"
She took another swig in respect of the cheers, capped it, and set it back into the sand. She hadn't brought it to get drunk, really; just a little something to help take the edge off. If Gideon wanted more, he'd have to speak up. She eyed his craft, noticing that he had started to get it into some sort of shape. She nodded at his question, which may have come as a surprise, but Aurelia had seen a few other Ludo dolls and she'd been given a brief description before by one of the crew.
As she answered him, she grabbed one of the small bread rolls and offered it to him. "I know what Ludo is supposed to look like but, I haven't seen it personally. I think I'm going to use this piece of wood," she lifted it up to reveal the face-like shape at the top, smirking as she turned it back towards herself, "it's kinda creepy looking. I was gonna use this rag to wrap around it, as well... but it's not as dark as it needs to be." She frowned thoughtfully towards the soft rag that was bunched up on the ground.
Picking at a few stray pieces along the wood's edge, she asked, "Do the people here do things like this for all of the Gods' heralds?"
but they can still carry you home when you're ready to sleep
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
A city that demanded it's citizens bodies sounded grim indeed; Gideon's brows furrowed as he tried to imagine that in Caido. When his father had died, if someone had snatched away his body for their own mysterious purposes, he would have surely argued and fought to bury him properly; perhaps if he had grown used to that way though, he would have accepted it. "Mementos are certainly worthwhile...still, here, if you are ever in the unfortunate position of burying a friend or family member...there is nothing to stop you doing so."
He did indeed look down at the inscription, a soft smile coming to his lips as he did. "Very sweet." Not one for romance, he wouldn't ever give a gift like the one he held now, but it did speak of a loving father and husband.
"Preaching is my entire life. I'd say I was pretty good at it." He winked, resisting the temptation to ask for any more of the booze, a task that took a remarkable amount of willpower. "Just remember what I'm preaching can save your life. The Gods here are real, unlike in some Outlander worlds, and what you do has consequences."
Nodding approvingly at her choice of wood he went back to whittling his own, carving out a rough neck and head. "That will do fine. A dark figure in rags is all you need." As for the other Heralds...he sucked his teeth as he thought about it, turning the wood over in his hands. "They each have a festival related to them, but making dolls is not usually a part."
12-09-2020, 01:03 AM (This post was last modified: 12-09-2020, 01:04 AM by Aurelia.)
AURELIA
and my hands aren't clean maybe they never will be
Aurelia let the strained silence overtake her, the desire to stop talking about it beoming far stronger than her need to get it off her chest. When Gideon told her she could bury her dead in Caido, she looked away, eyeing the roll of the ocean and chewing her lip. "Hopefully that's a privilege I won't need anytime soon," she muttered, glancing down to feed some spare branches to the fire. The flames popped and crackled as they bit into the fresh, dry wood. If her invisible intensity fed them too, she didn't notice.
Gideon commented on the inscription, a simple response. That was all, just sweet. Aurelia saw much more but, of course she did. She nodded and glanced back over at him, back at the blade as it reflected the fire on its shiny surface. Those words carved into it were still dark against the orange light around them.
One of the already-burnt branches lost its balance and toppled down from the fire. She made no move to correct it, only watching it smoke away in the cold sand. She didn't miss Gideon's wink as he spoke confidently about his preaching, and the fact that it might help her.
'In what ways?' was the only response she could think of but, she didn't say it aloud to him. He probably dealt with stupid questions like that on a regular basis and his practiced answers must've become dull. What you do has consequences, his words repeated in her head, striking her where it hurt - even though that probably wasn't his intention.
Aurelia, however, wiped away the frown and replaced it with a small smile at Gideon's approval of her choice of action. It wasn't so dissimilar from his own, actually, but she didn't mind that. Meant that she had the right idea.
"So, then, I guess I better get ready to do more stuff like this, huh? Aside from dolls, I mean." She picked up the bottle to take another drink and, when she had, she promptly tossed it into the sand beside him, turning to face him better. "Alright, let's hear it," she smacked her lips at the bitter taste that had just washed over her tongue, her face flushing for a moment, "I wanna see if you're as good as you say. Preach at me, really sell it to me, Gideon. I'll take it serious, don't worry," as if to prove her point, she forced her smile down and put on her best listening face, "Tell me about Ludo."
but they can still carry you home when you're ready to sleep
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
He nodded quietly, agreeing with her; funerals were always his least favourite services to do, the lost and mournful eyes of his congregation staring up at him always able to wrench at his heart. Gideon wanted to do all he could to protect those who came to his temple, but he could not save them from death; that was the Voice's ambition, and look where it had ended up. Unfortunately, the natural way was the best.
Looking up at the falling branch in the fire, he sat in silence and watched too, nothing much to say and enjoying the quiet companionship on the beach. His entire job was talking, days taken up with theological debate and explanation; it was nice to simply be silent for a while.
When she spoke he was not opposed though, looking up and smiling at her willingness to participate in further events; perhaps she really could overcome her Abandoned nature, like he had heard of some doing. That she asked him to preach, a request that immediately had him grinning and moving to a more straightened position, gave him even more hope.
"Ludo. I don't know where to begin - I met it, recently, and it was the most..." Gideon shook his head with a laugh, still truly touched by the meeting. "Amazing thing. Ludo is a playful God, and fair in it's own way, though it can be harsh. Maybe not the best God to meet first...but it's still a wonderful sight." Enough about his personal experience, though: Gideon had preached for years without having seen any of the Gods, and there was so much more to say.
Placing his hands together, he continued. "When we die, Ludo comes to collect our souls. I've heard for Outlanders it adjusts the journey to look however you might expect it to, for comfort - our Gods can be merciful to those that the Voice has brought, even under the circumstances." Gideon hoped Aurelia would understand the significance of that. "Mort looks after the souls, Ludo is the transport; not that it's role is any less important. Any questions?"
12-13-2020, 01:59 AM (This post was last modified: 12-13-2020, 02:00 AM by Aurelia.)
AURELIA
and my hands aren't clean maybe they never will be
Gideon's grin made her eyes stretch a little wider. He'd seemed to have such a serious character to her but, for him to feel comfortable enough to play along, to relax... Something about it made her a little happy. Perhaps she should, genuinely, take this seriously. Her mind felt more open then, to whatever he might tell her.
Her eyes examined his facial features; ready, engaged. She set her chin on her palm and listened. Her brows raised and lowered and pressed together, lips pursed and relaxed and then pursed again, all in tune with the flow of his speech. She could only imagine what meeting Ludo would be like. Personally, she didn't find him to be very... 'amazing'-looking. The word she might use, based on what she'd been told of him, was more along the lines of.. 'creepy'. Maybe interesting, if she was feeling generous. Which, she was, so she respected Gideon's affections for the Herald.
Aurelia did also understand the significance of the Old Gods being merciful to Outlanders. Hell, she felt it was a significance for the people of Caido to be merciful toward Outlanders. Gods, though? She would not have expected so much from them.
Questions?
Aurelia blinked in surprise, whisked out of her puzzling. "I have a lot but, which ones to ask..." she trailed off, gaze wandering up to the darkened sky overhead.
"Was it scary?" She asked finally, green eyes peering across the sand at Gideon, "To meet it, I mean. Can't Ludo.. I don't know, actually, what he's capable of." She chuckled softly. Then, she dropped her hand from her chin and leaned forward with an arching brow, "So, what happened, when you met it? What did it say?"
but they can still carry you home when you're ready to sleep
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
He was pleased to hear she had a question, taking that as a sign she was truly engaged in what he was saying and listening; despite her being abandoned, maybe there was hope for her yet. When the query actually came, Gideon couldn't help but laugh, though not cruelly: quietly, unable to think of the meeting of being anything but an honour and a awe-worthy memory.
"No. To be fair, I have been preparing to meet the Gods for many, many years, but I think even for someone without my work.." It was hard to explain with words just how the presence of a Herald made one feel, Gideon doing a lot of vague gesturing with his hand as his mouth failed to bring up the right descriptions. "All I felt was a great and humbling respect. To be in the presence of something so powerful...I know I have done right by the Gods my entire life though, so I have no reason to be scared."
"Ah, though, just a note-" He said gently, knowing she had taken in a lot at once. "Ludo is an it, never a he nor a she, or even a they. It is how it likes it." Gideon shrugged, not one to question the Gods and wanting to save Aurelia the possibility of offending the God later. "As for what happened...I'm afraid a lot of it is quite personal. But it helped me succeed in a goal I've had for a long time, and we discussed the Ascended; thankfully, we are very much on the same page there."
