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!
One of the first things that Neos had done when he got back to Torchline...was shift back to his lion form, haul ass back to the inn he had been staying at since he came here, grabbed a blanket from one of the trays as he passed and tossed it over his head right in front of a fireplace that was being lit for overnight use to help keep the place warm. Fortunately for him, the innkeeper had gotten slightly used to his antics, especially since he had done his best to be a solid worker, but he still got a solid knock on the head with a heavy wooden spoon on the head for it. The mane helped with padding the blow, but it still hurt.
He didn't want to see the inkeeper use that spoon as a weapon, and if currency existed in this world, he'd put a solid amount on the person in question killing someone with that spoon. While it probably would be better if he reverted back, the lion's form did fast 'inspire' any fights that were going down to stop save for the ones continued by those too drunk to realize there was a freaking predator right next to their asses. This was probably the only reason he wasn't asked to revert back to normal, at least yet.
(Oh, Henry ...have fun with a lion at the inn. ;) )
So I chase the inbetweens of what I say and what I mean
Henry was officially in Torchline now. Staying at the inn was an adventure in and of itself; plenty of antics and stories that went on in the dining area. Interesting people of all walks of life came through the simple walls that surrounded them, and Henry found himself among them many times. Tonight would be no different, although... there was something that felt different. He couldn't explain it. Like a weird, twisty gut feeling - neither bad, nor good.
So he sat at a table, finishing up the last bits of a meal. It was nothing like his mother's cooking but, it would have to do. His mug of beer was gone, now, as well, and a light buzz was already softening his inhibitions. He watched as a fucking lion entered the inn, pulling a blanket down and settling himself somewhere. A stray spoon went flying in his direction, and Henry could only raise his brows in stunned disbelief as the lion simply laid down and took it without even a flinch.
Oh, he must be an Attuned, Henry thought.
And then suddenly, there was a clamor of chairs as a drunk fellow barged over towards another man. Confused, Henry leaned back to get up as his table was slammed into. The drunken man grabbed the hem of the other man's shirt, demanding something or other - the slurred words were too hard for Henry to quite make out.
Something about a woman, Henry realized. Going by the seat of his pants, he rushed forward to separate the two men - who had now descended into a flurry of fists and kicks and swears and who-knows-what-else. Another spoon came flying over, hitting one of them over the head. Turning, thinking it had been Henry, who was currently trying to pry them apart, one of the men proceeded to punch him squarely in the jaw.
From somewhere else, the innkeeper was shouting. Henry's head was still spinning from the punch as it mixed around his blood and the beer already in his system.
01-02-2021, 08:27 PM (This post was last modified: 01-03-2021, 08:52 AM by Neos.)
NEOS
I have but one thing I wanna say to you
The next thing Henry knew, the large feline had gotten into the fight itself, headbutting one of the duo to the ground before using its large paw to bat away the other one away from Henry. It looked towards Henry before motioning with its head towards the nearest chair, then turned towards the two that were fighting and growled loud in warning. The one that was still standing got the hint and bolted out of the inn without looking back.
The lion's seen that one before, already expecting that particular customer to be back in a day or two...after cleaning the shit out of his pants, it realized after sneezing out some foul smell that suddenly hit its nose. Yeuch. It moved towards the one now on the floor, carefully grabbing at the clothes with its fangs before pulling the figure out of the building and against the wall just beside the entrance. If patrons were gonna start shit like that, they were not gonna be his problem once they were knocked out.
Pawing back in towards the table closest to Henry still, the lion pushed off the ground with its front paws mid-travel to end up walking on its hindpaws as it changed in front of the gods and all to a tall and more human form, dressed in black and in primarily a suit-like attire. Under the suitjacket was a turtleneck sweater instead of a proper shirt and hanging from his neck was a blue, six-pointed crystal hanging from a simple golden chain. The figure looked up towards Henry as he sat down, simply asking, "You gonna be alright?"
If Henry was able to pay attention, he'd realize the color and shade of this guy's eyes never once changed, both forms had the same bright green eyes...which was somewhat unusual when you consider that while that kind of green was possible for lions, you just about never saw a person with the same color and shade.
So I chase the inbetweens of what I say and what I mean
Henry blinked up at the sight of the lion putting an end to the altercation, stiffening. He would rather not get in between a lion and its lunch. Figuratively speaking. And it seemed as though the other Attuned had a pretty damn good handle on the situation. Although, Henry's nose curled briefly at a horrible scent that filled the room, leaving only as the perpetrating man did.
As the lion made its way back into the building, Henry leaned on hand against the table and flexed his jaw in an attempt to rid himself of the pain that bruised along it. A few of his fingers came up to gently rub the area. "Yep. Definitely gonna feel that in the morning," he mumbled aloud, not specifically to the lion though, because he had not yet shifted and asked him if he was alright.
His blue eyes flicked up towards him, though, when he righted himself on hind feet and suddenly became a man. An engaged smile lifted at the ends of Henry's lips as he met the other man in the eyes, which he did realize were the same startling shade of bright, leaf-green. He waved off the question with a casual shrug.
"I think the real question is, are they gonna be alright? I think one of them...?" He trailed off and then let out a soft laugh, shaking his head, "Guess I'd be scared shitless too."
"Thanks, though," he said, more serious, running a hand through the hair along the back of his head, "I could've taken 'em but, uh, y'know, the guy got lucky with that punch." He casually went to lift up his mug, a dissatisfied look on his face at the fact that it was empty. He let out a barely audible sigh and lifted his gaze back towards the other man, "So, what's your story?"
Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
"Far from the first time I've seen that duo, surprised they haven't been banned from the premises yet," the stranger shrugged, glancing towards the other customers as if daring anything of them to start something. Fortunately, despite how deceptively scrawny he looked, especially with his height, no one was bold enough to try anything. In fact, a couple of people that had a large number of glasses in front of them decided to either leave or go up to their rooms. No one wanted to risk getting so drunk that they'd deal with claws as big as his. "This also isn't the first time I've had to do a takedown like that with that duo, they're sturdier than they look."
"Before I share anything, need another drink?" he asked as he pointed towards the empty glass in Henry's hand. "If you don't want to get so drunk you can't talk or think properly, the teas here are pretty good." He glanced towards the bar, which served more than just alcoholic beverages, though most tend to forget that. "I've had the cinnamon spice tea a fair number of times, since I...uh, tend to avoid most booze in general."
So I chase the inbetweens of what I say and what I mean
Henry nodded and lifted his gaze toward the door which the pair of men had fled out of, reflecting on the fact that they were regulars of this place. Which probably spoke more of the city than the two men. People like that were commonplace in Torchline. Henry took care to take note of that. At least it was early on in his visit that he'd learned such a lesson. He also noticed the way that Neos seemed to clear the room with his presence alone, lion or otherwise.
So the man was quick to leave an impression in the places he dwelled. Gears began turning in Henry's mind. Well, they'd already begun turning, but he was careful not to get too ahead of himself.
Besides, his head was throbbing from the punch still. At the sound of another drink, Henry shook his head and waved his hand. That was, until the word 'tea' was spoken. "Tea, hm?" he mumbled, looking up from the empty beer mug, "Doesn't sound half bad."
He stood up, his chair scooting out from behind him noisily, and approached the bar. The tea seemed to already be prepared, for those customers who didn't wish for debilitating headaches the next morning. Gratefully, Henry took the warm beverage and headed back for the table where the other Attuned sat. Maybe unexpectedly, he carried two of the beverages. "Alright, I got the cinnamon tea. I hope it lives up to its reputation," he a grinned and winked, setting one of the mugs on the table in front of the other man.
He sank back into his chair with a sigh, setting his own tea mug down more gently, before peering back up at the other. The man had long, dark hair and a very unique necklace wound about his person. Henry's gaze hovered over the accessory before he met those bright green eyes again. The tea steamed between them, giving off a sweet-spicy scent.
"Alright, well, I'm ready now." He grunted, a smile playing at the edges of his mouth. "I'm Henry, by the way. And you are...?"
01-07-2021, 06:58 AM (This post was last modified: 01-07-2021, 06:59 AM by Neos.)
Neos
Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
Neos gave a grin at the sight and smell of the tea being pushed his way, taking it gladly. "I had legit hauled ass from the portal after leaving Halo straight to here without stopping before plopping in front of that fireplace, so this..." To stress his point, he lifted his glass a bit. "...is more appreciated than you think."
He then brought the steaming beverage to his lips before taking a solid gulp, flinching for a moment from the heat, but still drinking. He put the tea down after a quarter of the glass was already gone. "The name's Neos...and don't think I didn't notice you eyeballing my necklace." He took another sip before continuing on. "Don't ever expect to see another like it, either. This particular crystal type doesn't exist on Caido."
He then glanced about once more, focusing his gaze upon another pair that had voices raising more and more. One of the trio he was glaring at caught his gaze before getting the other two to stop yelling, though it was still they were clearly arguing about something. He then took another sip before asking, "I was planning on taking a walk about Haulani after I killed this. If ya really wanna chat, you can walk with me. You seem the friendly sort."
So I chase the inbetweens of what I say and what I mean
Henry simply nodded at the appreciation. "Likewise!" He replied, his own appreciation in regards to having helped him with the rowdy pair of drunks. He dips the mug up to take a hefty sip of his own, a little more startled by the heat.
Henry's brows raised in surprise, his smile disappearing. He opened his mouth to defend himself but, Neos went on to explain how the crystal was not even from Caido. And that made everything click in Henry's mind. "Ah, of course! You're an outlander!" He blurted out excitedly, lifting his head a little higher. That made so much more sense!
Realizing he was being a bit impulsive and loud, he lowered his eyes and awkwardly drank from his mug. He let out a soft 'ah' sound when he was done, setting it down and lifting his gaze back up.
Before he could get out another word, he followed stark green eyes across the tavern to glare at another set of drunks. A smirk crossed over Henry's features at the way they all reacted. Leaning closer so the others didn't hear him, he mumbled, "Sheesh, you really weren't exaggerating.."
The mirth left his eyes at the proposition to go for a walk, as he more seriously considered it.
Not that he didn't want to, or was unhappy to be invited along. He just hadn't expected it. A small sense of suspicion flared up, as well, but then he re-realized that Neos wasn't from Torchline. He didn't live the steal-from-or-be-stolen-from mantra that most of her other citizens did. Plus, he'd just helped him. Unless, of course, this was all part of some elaborate plan. Likely not, though.
So, with a shrug of his shoulders, he nodded with a friendly smile. "Well why don't we go now, before these drunks start something again!" He stood up, hastily finishing off his tea and leading the way out of the inn. As he did, he offered a wave to the staff tending the bar and a quiet 'thank you, we'll be back later'.
Once out of the inn, he waited by the door for Neos to join him. "So, you're an Outlander. Seems like you've been settling in pretty well around the city. Torchline could use more people like you, I usually run into..." he gestured vaguely towards the inn, "..more of that type." Although, this was his first real stay, so he was hopeful that he would get to know more of the people that were like Neos.
Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
Neos had to take a few minutes to put up the glasses and plate, washing and drying them off before cleaning off the table the two had been sitting in. Once he was done and he put what he used up, he met Henry outside of the inn, a sheepish smile on his face. "Sorry, had to take care of the table before I left or I risked another flying spoon when I got back."
"And yeah, I'm an Outlander...and no, my intro here was not exactly the smoothest..." He rolled his shoulders a bit as he walked before adding, "the number of people I've thrown out of there, as is and after taking on that form, has gotten me a small reputation as someone not to mess with among the patrons at least...which from what I've seen around here, is a bit of a good thing."
"Anyhoo, you a visitor or something," he asked before turning his glance back towards Henry as they walked more through the town of Haulani. "I don't recognize around from around here, but with how big this place it, that may just mean I hadn't crossed paths with you until now."
So I chase the inbetweens of what I say and what I mean
Henry listened with interest as they began to walk, eventually leaving behind the inn and its shenanigans. They traded these things for a peaceful quiet in the normally crowded streets, which Henry savored with a long breath.
So Neos could handle himself around Torchline, rough and tumble as it could get. That was good to know, made Henry all the more confident in him as a candidate for the guild... Only, he wasn't going to jump into that too quickly. He still had to get to know the guy, after all, so he eyed him curiously as he spoke about earning a 'reputation'. He nodded at the idea of that being a good thing, agreeing completely. "Yeah, I can't tell you how many products have gone missing when I try to set up a stall in the market," he let out a rugged, breathy laugh, shaking his head a bit.
Henry tilted his head considerately as Neos explained he might've just missed his face among the crowds until now, but Henry was quick to clarify once the man was finished, "No, you're right. I'm not from Torchline, I'm from the Hollowed Grounds. My family's got a sheep farm there, it's been standing for a few generations now," he shrugged his shoulders simply, "I've been trying to stay there as much as I can lately," he didn't intend to explain why, at least not yet, "but I came here to try to find some potential recruits for a new guild that Queen Wessex wants me to help run." And potentially gather intel... but given that Neos was an Outlander and an Attuned, it wasn't likely that he was wrapped up in any of the Order business. But, Henry didn't see the harm in warning the other. "I'm also here to try... and... find out more about the Order. Don't know if you've heard of them. But uh... if you ever run into one, you should be careful. They don't like anyone who's not an Accepted, especially not the Ascended." He curled his lip.
Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
Neos was prepared to admittedly be passive in his attentiveness, focusing more on the surroundings than his company. He did give a sympathetic smile and nod in regards to Henry's stuff being swiped on the frequent, which has to be annoying.
The moment the false human heard mention of the Hollowed Grounds, however, the following attention shift was rather noticeable as he laid those bright-green eyes fully on Henry. "I was about to go there next on my explorations of this world, still getting more familiar with this place before I permanently settled into any one area...also, this world has royalty?" The question was accompanied by an eyebrow raise, and a high one. He hadn't seen anything along those lines yet, was it just in specific areas?
The mention of this Order and the seeming fact that they opposed those whom are not of the 'Accepted' for the most part had him hearing a dark laugh in the back of his head before the memories of the one priest he had encountered in the past, Gideon, came to the forefront. Now, Gideon never mentioned being part of anything, but considering how the priest was completely repulsed by the Voice and anything related to her, way more than Neos ever could be on an instinctive level (which he could easily squish if needed) as he found out at Halo during the Festival of Lights. "...I don't know about any Order, but I have a sneaking suspicion I know who to ask about that. My question is why is this Order so hostile to everyone not like them?"
A tiny snarl suddenly emerges in his throat, though he made sure he was not facing Henry when he did it to make it clear such a sound was not aimed at him. "Also, 'Accepted'? 'Abandoned'? To make it so that one group of people are automatically 'favored' by the gods of this world at birth while another is automatically forsaken by the same divinity utterly sickens me. Just what happened to this world that makes such names so..." Neos took a few monents to think of a word other than 'accepted' for his purposes before finally settled on... "...tolerated so horrifyingly well here?"
01-13-2021, 06:07 AM (This post was last modified: 01-13-2021, 06:15 AM by Henry.)
So I chase the inbetweens of what I say and what I mean
Henry raised his brows in interest as Neos admitted he was going to travel to the Grounds next. "Probably a good idea," he commented, on the idea of exploring Caido fully before deciding on a place to live. Henry had never really done that, until now.. he supposed. "The Grounds may not have the same allure as Torchline," he let out a soft sigh, looking around at the tropical city, "but its people are some of the best I've met." He smiled.
As for royalty, he laughed softly, "No royalty, per se. It's more like a title, and it's definitely earned."
Now, Henry doesn't know Neos, nor does he know anyone in the Order. Not that he's aware of, anyway. However, he can see something turning in Neos' mind. It raises a hint of suspicion in his chest, but the baited feeling is released when the other man reveals that he may know someone like that. "I see. To answer your question, it's because of their loyalty to the Old Gods.. See, when the Voice first came to be, the Old Gods didn't like her progressive approach to things, didn't like their world being changed - for better or worse. So, they trapped her in the dome that used to surround the Hollowed Grounds - along with hundreds of innocent people. Thanks to the efforts of a lot of brave people, the barrier was broken, but that took centuries." A vein flexed along Henry's temple and his jaw clenched as spite flared in his eyes.
The guttural sound that leaves Neos' throat startles Henry, though not in a frightened way but, in a way of... he wasn't expecting the Outlander to feel so passionately about these things. The words he spoke next reflected much of Henry's own opinions, and it was all he could do to stare in amazement.
When Neos finished, Henry slowly gathered his thoughts and a small grin worked its way into his expression. He brought a hand up to shake the other man's shoulder encouragingly. "You know what? You're alright, Neos," he said, voice thick with approval and appreciation. His hand fell away, then. Moving on to actually address the question, he looked out across the streets as the duo approached the center of town. "I don't have all of the answers, unfortunately. Growing up, that's just the way things always have been in Caido. But, you might be glad to know, not everyone feels shame in their identity - even if the Old Gods would have it otherwise. Abandoned, Ascended, these words can be... condemning, to some, yes," he looked over at Neos then, "but empowering to others. They're just words, after all."
He didn't quite notice the tree sapling that unfurled in the center of the square, though, his gaze on the Outlander.
Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum
Neos was seething after hearing more and more about what Henry was saying about the world as he knew it. The Old Gods being seemingly so fixed about things being the same that they imprisoned not only someone that could have just been trying to better their world for all he knew, not caring that multiple, multiple people were ensnared alongside her though they had done nothing obviously wrong?
If the Voice had been doing something harmful then, that's one thing. But the people that were trapped with her? He's always hated anything multi-generational, especially when later generations were being punished for something they had not done, but their elder generations had done. "...this barrier...it reminds me of something that was done disgustingly-frequently on one of the worlds I left behind...there was an entire family known as the Orzhova on the world of Ravnica, a world where literally every bit of surface of the world was covered in cityscape, even the oceans below them."
He closed his eyes for a moment as they walked to recall the ornate attires, the attitudes held, the ghostly council that effectively ran the family to speak of. "They were debt collectors, ones that made you literally sign in blood to magically empower their contracts...that made it so if you couldn't pay your debts, your next of kin would. And if they couldn't, their next-of-kin. I had seen a debt that lasted ten generations, at one point, because this legalized crimelord family had kept upping the interest to make the debts purposely unpayable in full. Basically, if you signed one of their contracts, even if it was in an act of desperation, you were effectively owned by the Orzhova family...and they did whatever they could to keep you like that." He then opened his eyes before looking back towards Henry. "I've hated multi-generational things, almost always see them unfairly affect later generations in a horrible way. It's one thing if you dun fucked up on something, another thing to make your grandkid pay for your fuck-up once you're gone."
He then looked back away, breathing to calm himself...before neon-green spotted a different sort of green, out of place green. A single blink of surprise came from the false human before Neos turned towards it before asking, "...wait, what's a fir tree, of all things, doing here in Torchline?" He then began taking a few steps towards it, motioning for Henry to follow him. "Think someone put it out here? Looks pretty intentional with it being dead-center of the town square like that." He then frowned before saying, "...though, something that small isn't gonna last long out here..."
01-17-2021, 03:26 AM (This post was last modified: 01-17-2021, 03:50 AM by Henry.)
So I chase the inbetweens of what I say and what I mean
Henry's lips rested in an understanding frown but, alas, all of his anger had subsided after years of living these truths. Once, he'd been furious, been vengeful even. For a long time, he wanted to be the one to change things, and he still did, but he wasn't going to storm through Caido until things were different. There was a better way to go about it all, there had to be.
"It's people that decide to take their sides, that lock themselves into agreements for... the gifts that Gods offer them. But it's the Gods that punished generations of innocents. People took their sides back then, too, that's why the Ascended are hated by the Old Gods. They were once called the Acquired.. but they started to outsmart the gods and they rose up in challenge. Acquired became Ascended, and the New Gods took life, before they were trapped within a bubble. So the story goes," he shook his head, "It's a complicated history... Followers give reasons to the Gods' actions, and some of it might make sense to you- or it might not. But that's your decision, in the end," he let out a long, billowing sigh, shrugging his shoulders. Neos didn't need to feel the same way about things as he did, but it certainly earned him a few points as far as being a decent person went. "Don't let it anger you too much. There's change in the-" he followed Neos' gaze towards the small sapling sitting in the middle of the city square, "air."
He tilted his head, a bird-like reflex, and followed Neos towards it. Ironic for them to be talking about Gods and gifts and sides, because this sapling was a small gift left by a god. Not that Henry knew that, or could tell, but it was a bit ironic all the same.
"Don' know," he furrowed his brows, gaze raking over the meager, newborn leaves. "Couldn't have been here long."
He leans down, because he's familiar with plants and crops, so he moves to check to see if the poor plant is faring well. Which involves touching the leaves and the branches. He barely even begins his examination when suddenly the sapling twirls and giggles. It's an ethereal, youthful sound, girlish or just childish in nature - can't be too sure, it's just a tree after all...?
Henry nearly jumped out of his skin, recoiling and falling onto his ass. "Please tell me you just heard that too!"
