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!
"I can do that. Probably." They'd try to find something more up their alley, but serving food and washing dishes would keep a roof over Cam's head and food on the table till then, they hoped. "So we probably came from similar worlds, if not the same one ... Uh, DM stands for 'Dungeon Master.' It's not -- I mean, I understand why you haven't heard of it. It's part of a, uh, a game ..."
Cameron trailed off; trying to explain D&D to Neos seemed kind of infeasible. It was always kind of awkward to tell people who didn't know anything about it what D&D was, and in another world? Yikes.
"I mean, I have my laptop, and all my DM stuff is on there ..." But yeah, there was the electricity issue again. Cam's laptop didn't hold a charge very long. They sighed. "Yeah, I'm kind of up the creek without a paddle."
They glanced up at Neos' tone, brow furrowing. "What do you ... oh, whoa! Whoa!"
Suddenly Neos was a lion. Wow. Cam stared, their mind initially blanking in a sort of instinctive panic at being this close to a large predator. But ... it was Neos, right? It should be fine. They sort of reached out to the lion, not quite brave enough to touch it -- besides, they wouldn't assume Neos was OK with that -- but testing whether it would attack.
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
01-06-2021, 06:40 PM (This post was last modified: 01-09-2021, 10:55 PM by Neos.)
NEOS
I have but one thing I wanna say to you
To Cameron's probable surprise, the lion had a small rumble come from his throat that matched the pattern of a deep laugh before he lowered his head and gently headbutted into the open palm so they could actually pet the predator on top of the mane. Though a little hard to see, there was also a small smirk on the lion's muzzle as he pulled his head back to look them in the eyes, the same bright-green eyes as also seen when the lion wore a human's appearance.
The lion tilts his head to one side slightly before suddenly pushing itself up onto his hindquarters, the creature reverting back to the tall man from before, who was now wearing a sideways smirk on his face. "Sorry for spooking you like that, but you can see why I often wind up on bouncer duty, no one messes with a lion unless they're drunk off their asses." The smirk faded before he continued speaking as the duo began walking after that startling moment. "However, I doubt our worlds are that similar. Technology level might be similar, but I can swear by Arceus' golden ring that you and I have very-different wildlife. I had to learn what a 'lion' was while here in this world, for example, instead thinking it was just some knock-off Pyroar that could no longer manipulate fire by any means."
Cameron almost flinched when the lion moved towards them, then scratched its muzzle. "I'm petting a lion," they said in awe. "This is wild."
Not as wild as getting zapped between worlds, of course, but somehow this felt more tangible, more real. They had to take the idea that they weren't still on Earth somewhere on faith, but they had seen Neos change into a lion, could touch his fur -- this was definitely real.
They stepped back as Neos changed back, nodding. "Yeah, I think that's about all the intimidation factor you need. So, uh, lions in your world -- 'Pyroars' -- can manipulate fire? Also wild."
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
"So could their cubs, the Litleo," he said with a small nod. "By Distortion, all Pokemon...I mean animals...back on my home could manipulate one or two of the many elements that exists."
Homesick, little Ditto?
Neos stopped again, his face contorting into some mix of pain and anger as he shut his eyes tight and planted his palms hard against his temples.
I said, SHUT. UP. I don't need you giving me a headache now!
He heard a dark chuckle in his head before it faded for now, allowing him to lower his hands and look up towards the sky with narrowed eyes. "...sorry about that...just had something flare up there." He then looked back down towards Cameron, a smile on his face that no longer reached now-fearful eyes. "But yeah, just about everyone can do something on this world. I've seen people cast magic, and I've seen someone loaded up with magical items that only work for them as well."
He then glanced ahead, seeing the stone buildings ahead slowly entering more into view. "I only found out about what I could do because I knew what to look for via past experiences, but it may be worth experimenting to see what extra thing you might be capable of doing."
"Wow. That sounds like quite a place to live -- must have been chaotic."
Cameron watched Neos' reaction with concern. For the first time it occurred to them, really occurred to them -- despite watching him turn into a lion -- to feel a bit unsafe. Not much, of course; they knew quite well that people acting oddly weren't necessarily a danger. But they were all alone out here on this road ... Of course, it occurred to them that they should have felt scared ever since popping in here, not knowing what to expect -- medieval worlds were usually full of violence, weren't they? But Cam often didn't realize they should be scared until they were already in the middle of a bad situation.
"So ... people can get these abilities even if they were totally ordinary before?" Cam's moment of apprehension vanished into excitement. Hell yes -- they had always wanted magic powers, of course, though they had naturally never entertained the possibility of actually getting them. That was awesome. And would probably make their life here better, if there was actually something special about them.
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
01-09-2021, 10:48 PM (This post was last modified: 01-11-2021, 05:00 PM by Neos.)
Neos
Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
"Not as chaotic as you think," Neos said, his eyes shifting from fearful to homesick as he inhaled and sighed deeply. "It was fairly peaceful, all things considered, if the humans weren't screwing with something they shouldn't have been."
He glanced back down at Cameron for a moment at their question, bringing a hand to chin in thought. "From what I've seen so far, every Outlander has gained something that best fits them. I only knew about the lion form near immediately after coming here because I was of a shapeshifting species back home, and knew how I could specifically see if I could somehow still Transform here." He looked back ahead, hand lowering but still thinking on the question. "I...do not know all the different kinds of humans here, only personally am aware of the animal-shifting Attuned, which I seem to be, the spellcasting Abandoned, the Merfolk, and the Demi-Gods. There's another type known as the Accepted, which I'm still not wholly sure what their 'gimmick' is and at least one other type of human here that I may not have encountered myself yet."
He then looked back down once more towards Cameron, before gently warning, "It may also take a bit of time, to find out what you're capable of, especially if you don't know what you're looking for in specific. Don't be disheartened if you don't figure it out quickly, what you are granted should emerge relatively. Alright?"
"That's humans all over, isn't it?" Cameron muttered, thinking of the environmental damage dealt to their own world -- the polluted seas and warming skies. That might be an upside of coming to Caido, too. Maybe here they wouldn't have to worry that their home would be flooded by rising oceans in a few decades. Though presumably this place had its own problems.
"Just the thought that I might be capable of something like that ... wow." Cam grinned. They couldn't say that gaining magic powers totally made up for losing their entire normal life, but hey, it was a hell of a silver lining. "Attuned, Abandoned, Accepted ... I'm sensing a pattern in the naming there. Do you know why they're called those things?"
Demigods and merfolk seemed straightforward enough, though Cam did have to wonder somewhat about the whole concept of demigods. Thinking aloud, they added, "Are the gods, like, around a lot? Or is it just demigods down here?"
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
"Well, based off the one demigod I did meet, you won't really know you're talking with one until they show their power. They otherwise appear like any typical human on this planet, to their credit," Neos started to say, a frown appearing on his face at the thought of how long it would take them to reach any form of civilization on foot. Mind you, that wasn't either of their faults, more-advanced forms of transportation that he or Cameron were likely familiar with didn't exactly exist here. "As for the divine here, well...the only one I've 'seen', so to speak, is the Voice...though I and many others recently more heard and felt her than saw her when she showed up during a recent holiday event."
"...I also don't know the real reason behind the naming pattern, but I'm already trying not to explode again regarding the chosen names for a few kinds of people here," Neos said while looking dead ahead, a snarl escaping into his voice, before inhaling and exhaling deeply to calm himself. "...not gonna lie, it looks like it'll be faster if I just let you ride on my back after shifting again." He then looked down towards Cameron with a small smirk before asking, "Ever figured you'd be riding on the back of a lion back where you're from?"
Cameron nodded. They didn't know what to expect from demigods, really, so it didn't surprise them too much to hear that they seemed normal until they didn't. But as for the other piece of news ... "The Voice? And she appeared during a holiday event -- like, to a bunch of people? Wow."
They wanted to ask for more detail on the naming pattern thing and why it would make Neos explode, but his next words blew that question completely out of their mind. "You want me to ... ride you? As a lion? Are you sure? The weight won't, like, hurt you or anything, will it?"
On a normal day Cameron would have said absolutely not to anyone telling them to climb on a lion's back, but this was obviously not a normal day, so, like ... why not?
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
"I won't know if I never try it," Neos said point blank. "And I rather find out if I can do it on my own terms, where it's my own fault if I fuck up, instead of having to find out in an emergency and have to carry someone out of something."
He then glanced over Cameron before a sly smile appeared on his face. "Also, no offence, but you're a bit of a stringbean, you shouldn't be too much of a strain on my back," he said before slightly sticking his tongue out at them. He looked back ahead before rolling both of his shoulders. "Also, it shouldn't be too much different from barebacking a Rap---um...dammit, what's the equal to that again...?" He looked up towards the sky in thought as he tried to recall the names of certain creatures he saw on one particular world, upon Zendikar, before snapping his fingers as it came to him. "A horse! Shouldn't be too much different from riding on a horse bareback."
He then leaned forward as he began to change once more, shifting back to become the golden form of the African lion. Once shifted, he knelt down, legs pulled under him, to lower himself to ground level for Cameron to get on easier.
"That's fair," Cameron replied. They actually snorted at being called a stringbean: it wasn't anything they didn't already know. In fact, it was kind of flattering in a weird way that had more to do with diet culture and their own bad body image than anything else. Ick.
"Well, if you're sure ..." Cam started to awkwardly climb onto the lion's back, taking great care with where they put their feet and hands -- and how much weight they rested on the animal. Finally, with a bit of a grimace, they lowered themself fully onto Neos' back. "OK, ready as I'll ever be, I guess."
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Once Cameron felt to be settled as best as they can be, it was clear the person now riding had never had riding lessons to the lion below. With that, he was careful in standing back up upon his large paws before looking back at Cameron over each of his shoulders.
He wanted to make sure they weren't too likely to topple if he suddenly peeled off at top speed. At first, he started at a walk, which was still at a bit of a pace that was faster than what they were going at, admittedly. As Cameron likely shifted then settled on his back with each increase in pace, he increased the speed more and more.
He gave a warning roar, one that could actually be mistaken for the phrase 'brace yourself' to human ears, before kicking up the speed for the last time into a full run and making considerable distance towards the settlement in the distance...
So, two options in regards to your next post. We can continue this in a separate thread in the Settlement subboard within the Ruins board of the Hollowed Grounds, or we can end this thread after your next post. Leaving it up to you, I'm good for either way, but for this thread in specific, this feels like a good stopping point.
"Whoa!" It took quite a bit of getting used to for Cameron to find their balance on Neos' back. They hadn't even been horseback riding in like 10 years, and they'd never been good at that, and this was bareback ... They ended up abandoning any pretense of looking cool -- or not pulling Neos' hair out -- and clinging tightly to Neos' mane.
But as Neos picked up speed, they had to admit ... this was pretty damn cool. In fact, they couldn't help laughing, then whooping into the passing wind. "Woooo!"
If anyone had caught that on camera, Cam would have been mortified -- but hey, no cameras here! And maybe skinny kids riding lions was an everyday sight in Caido. Yes, they might just like this new world. At the very least, this probably wasn't the worst thing that had ever happened to them.
{FIN}
cameron ?
"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
