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!
Henry was wearing his own sheepskin coat. It fit him like a glove, after wearing it on his trips to the colder region of Halo for years. He was searching for something specific, though. He knew he'd be visiting here more often because now, his friend Aisha, would be living there. That didn't stop him from being completely grateful that he didn't live in the snowy, white, cold...
He couldn't even see the sun, though he knew it was shining somewhere above in the snow-covered sky.
He made his way through the Citadel in search of a hunter that might be able to supply him with what he needed. He'd been guided by some locals towards Snowcloak, where he might find a man by the name of 'Noah Olson' - if he wasn't gone on one of his hunts already.
Henry found little guidance in the small village other than to try his luck in the Kraai. The feeling of being a little out of place was pushed down as he entered the house, finding a cozy bar within. The fire that roared in the back was a welcome heat as it lured him further in. A few people dotted the rooms but, none of them looked like what he thought a hunter might look like - except for the rugged man that sat, alone, at the bar.
Henry approached calmly, putting one hand on the seat adjacent to the other man. Confidence eased Henry's tension as he tilted his hat-covered head. "Do you know a man named Noah? I was told he might be able to trade me a few things I need."
The man at the bar was a hunter, but not the one that Henry was searching for. The burly man, older than the one he searched for, turned to look at the youngling. He narrowed his dark-gray eyes and grumbled something almost inaudible. It made sense -- a gnarled, deep scar ran over the right side of his face and down over his nose and lips. The muscles seemed paralyzed as the words came only from the unmarred half of his mouth. Grumbling again, the grizzled hunter turned and lifted an arm towards the back of the bar, near the fire, to a table where the sought sat.
Noah had had enough of his office by the time mid-morning rolled in. Today was a day of council work, he had decided, and it kept him off the tundra. After meeting with a few members of Halo regarding their needs, Noah set off for the Kraai. He was well aware that people might seek him out there, so he chose to sit in a different spot than he preferred. Instead of taking his normal spot at the table that had once been Weaver's favored spot, the hunter sat at a table adjacent. He had his coat barely removed before a tender sat a whiskey -- his favorite kind -- on the table for him. He smiled brightly to the woman, and thanked her.
Until the stranger arrived, however, Noah was left quite alone. A few men staggered in and jested with him, or invited him on hunts later in the week, but no one asked him any council business. However, when Jonathan turned towards him and lifted his arm, it instantly caught the glacier eyed man's attention and his heart sunk a little. Short lived, I guess he thought to himself as he lifted his chin towards the stranger he must have been asking about him.
Henry offered a grateful smile at the grumbling, older man, following his arm to the man sitting alone at a table in the back. His eyes quickly took in the old hunter's scarring, which impeded his ability to speak clearly. But the Attuned's expression betrayed nothing, not his surprise or pity or understanding. A man of such caliber wasn't likely to appreciate any of those. Henry knew the people of Halo to be calloused from a life hard-lived.
Still, however, he wouldn't let that faze him. With a curt nod and a quiet "thank you", Henry sauntered over to the table in the back of the bar. He stopped beside a chair opposite to Noah, eyeing the glass on the table.
"Hello, you must be Noah?" He thought he'd clarify since he'd already gone through a whole slew of people, "I hope I'm not bothering you. I don't get much free time so, I make these kind of trips when I can," he explained with a tired sigh, an apologetic look on his face. He understood that people didn't typically come to a bar so that they could conduct any kind of business. Or maybe they did, but Henry certainly didn't know anyone like that. It was awkward timing on his part.
"Oh, I'm Henry. Henry Walker." He offered a grin and a hand out across the table to shake the other's hand. "Do you mind if I uh... join you for a drink?" He asked, raising hopeful brows.
No color left but black and white, soon will all turn gray may these shadows rise to walk again With lessons learnt
Noah listed himself in his chair some as the man approached. He straightened his back and opened his shoulders, watching the man. He was a stranger, though nothing about him seemed hostile. When he clarified, Noah nodded. "Noah Olson." He said. He offered a nod and a small smile, though his features mostly remained cool and neutral as he observed the man. "No bother at all. Please, have a seat." Noah gestured to the chair opposite him. He made eye contact with the waitress that had brought him his drink before. Their wordless communication was simple and easy, and apparently not the only time it had been done. Within seconds, a drink appeared before Henry.
Finally, when Henry introduced himself, Noah leaned his heavy forearm across the table, offering the man his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Henry. What can I help you with?" As far as Noah knew, this man was not a part of any council in the other lands. No letter had come for him for any official business, so whatever this was Noah imagined it was about hunting or tracking or using his non-government skills.
01-13-2021, 09:20 AM (This post was last modified: 01-13-2021, 09:21 AM by Henry.)
HENRY
At the cool, composed welcome to sit down, Henry shed his fur-lined hat and jacket before comfortably seating himself in front of Noah. Not quite as rugged as the other hunter, but he still had the look of someone that works hard, and Henry could both admire and empathize with that. Maybe they weren't so different after all.
The glimmer of an idea reflected in his eyes as he introduced himself warmly to the other man, shaking their hands. "The pleasure's all mine," he replied automatically, though not without warmth. Henry had missed the subtle gesture which brought forth his drink but, nonetheless, he was grateful for it and thanked the waitress.
He took a sip of the drink, taking that moment to think about what he was going to say.
"Well, I actually didn't come here just for me," he answered, resting his arms on the table, "I also came for a friend of mine. Belril. He's taken up residency in the Grounds, and his livelihood depends on crops that can be picked throughout the year. So, I was wondering if... you might know of some crops that can be harvested throughout Deepfrost."
He leaned forward and took another drink, all before adding, "But... I didn't come here just to ask you that." He looked around briefly. A soft, ambitious smile edged along his lips.
No color left but black and white, soon will all turn gray may these shadows rise to walk again With lessons learnt
Noah took a sip of his whiskey as the man settled in across from him. He observed the man without being obvious. It was ingrained in him -- he was a hunter, and he needed to take in as much information with his eyes as he possibly could. It was a part of his brain he could never shut off. It was a honed skill, one he practiced and practiced until it became easier than breathing.
This man before him was no soft thing -- he had the muscles and callouses of a person who worked in the earth, with their hands. He wondered what kind of trade this man worked as he spoke, trying to bring his mind back to focus on what he was saying. The name he mentioned seemed halfway familiar, a memory of a memory, but he didn't spend too much energy on it. The hunter laughed some, a smile breaking his cool features. "There aren't many crops that grow here in Deepfrost. Even with abandoned magic, the cold is too much and everything they can grow or create is tasteless and with less nutrition." He shook his head. "But, if you really need something that grows in Deepfrost, there are some mosses and lichens you can find year round in different parts of the Fangs."
Henry's demeanor changed some as he went on, though, revealing more of his purpose. "Oh?" Noah merely asked, leaning forward some, intrigued.
Henry listened with quiet disappointment at the hunter's declaration of winter crops being hard to come by in Halo. He rolled his jaw in embarrassment, hiding it with another pull from his glass. Of course, the place wasn't known for its agriculture, after all. He wasn't entirely surprised by the answer he got, just a little let down, his smile faltering a bit. His eyes flickered up at the sound of moss and lichen growing through the frosts, though, the interest there mild.
"Those can prove useful for other crops, 'specially the kinds that need mulch to prosper, but... that's nothing I wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. 's a good thought, but... it doesn' seem worth the risk of collecting it from the Fangs," he let out a soft sigh, "I appreciate the information, anyway... We've figured out a way to potentially save the plants from the frost, so... hopefully that works. The Grounds aren't exactly known for being hospitable to crops, as you might know," He raised his brows in exasperation; it was something his family struggled with year after year - and not just his, either. It was a miracle that they managed to keep the sheep well-fed, though the fields certainly helped with that.
Henry shifted his hand around the glass, glancing down at it to hide the sharp grin that was sparked by Noah leaning forward more. He peered back up with a good-natured expression, quelling the excitement at the question that he was about to ask. "Welllll..." he glanced around, towards the bar with the grizzled hunter, and then back to Noah, "I don't know many hunters, but.. between you and that guy, I think I stand a better chance asking this of you." He let out a brief snort and tapped his fingers against the table, tipping his chin up towards Noah. "I was hoping you could teach me how to.. you know, track and hunt. Properly."
Smile softening, more seriously, he quickly added, "Of course, there'll be something in it for you, as well. My family owns a sheep farm, one of the only successful ones in the Grounds. I can give you leather, fur, meat... whatever you'd need. I even do a bit of leatherwork myself, make most of my own coats. And uh..." he grinned again, wide and humorous, "I'm a fast learner, I think."
No color left but black and white, soon will all turn gray may these shadows rise to walk again With lessons learnt
At least the man before him seemed wise enough to work through the dilemma on his own. Noah nodded, "The Fangs are treacherous, even for natives." He agreed, nodding along with Henry as he decided to gather the mosses from somewhere else. "We've got more vegetables and fruits than we've ever had before now that the portals are open. Trade before was...tough." It was an understatement. Before the portals, Halovians lived on the meats they could hunt and the small vegetables that some mages could create. It was nothing like having the real thing -- being able to access the rest of the world on less than a day's trip was incredible.
Henry moved on, however. The crops, it seemed, really weren't his main goal. There was a way his posture and his voice changed as he asked his request. Noah leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table before them. He set his drink down, and smiled. He was honored to be asked such a thing. "I'll take you." He agreed without much hesitation. "But I don't reckon it will do you much good to learn how to hunt in Halo. You said you're from the Grounds, so that's where you'll learn."
Henry nodded with an understanding tilt of his head at Noah's recollections of Halo's plights. "Understandably..." he murmured in agreement, but there was nothing much more to say on the subject. His family's traded with Halovians since the portal there opened up, but Henry didn't bring it up as it would've detracted from the thing his mind was already focusing on.
I'll take you.
Excitement puffed out Henry's chest and he leaned way back in his chair with a smile, feeling victorious even though this had only been a challenge in regards to finding Noah. As far as this was actually going, it was relatively easy and the hunter seemed not to need much convincing.
Hunting in the Grounds made sense. It was his home turf, he'd know it better than Halo, he'd be there more than Halo, so on and so forth. Also, seemed like it might've been less dangerous, but.. knowing the Grounds, you never know what kind of weird shit might pop up.
"Makes sense," he aired this thought with an easy tone, pointing out, "You'll have to show me Halo at least once though, maybe. I'm an explorer, er- well, I try to be, anyway. I won't always be in the Grounds, I hope. So, I've got to master all terrains!" He adds the last bit with a flush of brio, raising his fist in emphasis. He settled back down and let out a laugh.
He clears his throat, smile fading, and nods to Noah, "When do you want to meet next, then? Leafchange will be over soon... so, that only really leaves sometime next year."
No color left but black and white, soon will all turn gray may these shadows rise to walk again With lessons learnt
After agreeing to take the man on the hunter he requested, Noah just watched. He couldn't help but smile at the man's excitement. When he finished his small speech, and his victory pose, Noah laughed a grandiose laugh. It was enough to make him lean back in his chair and put a hand over his belly. He hadn't laughed like that in this bar for quite some time. If Noah had been told that coming to the Kraai today would bring him some semblance of joy, he would have scoffed in the face of the storyteller. But it was true now, as he sat across from his new acquaintance, that he did feel some spark of joy in his chest as his laugh shook out from him.
Noah would have to spend a few days out in the Hollowed Grounds before they started their hunt. "will you have lodging for me when I come? We will plan on the height of Flowerbirth. It will give the forest time to replenish." He leaned forward again. "In due time I will show you Halo. Let's start in the Grounds." He lifted his drink up towards his lips. "For now, we drink." He swallowed back the rest of his whiskey and gestured to the kind waitress for another round for both him and Henry.
