At last, a pale sun emerges after a season of bleak darkness and troubled skies. For the majority of Caido, this is a time where trees begin to bud and blossom, where the days are crisp and cool, but promise brightness and jubilance to come. The same might be said for the Greatwood and the Hollowed Grounds, but as things begin to heat up, be careful of swollen rivers, of the risk of flooding. For Halo, too, the harshest of the ice begins to melt to slush, but of course things are never truly thawed, and as for Torchline? Beware the calm before the monsoons in the second half of the season.
Character of the Season
It has taken a lot of adapting from when Aurelia arrived, but she’s managed to get herself into the middle of a lot of things! From annoying Jack and joining the Ark, to finding a new family within the smugglers of Torchline, and having to come to terms with the type of person she had been before arriving to Caido, Aurelia has made the most out of it all. We can’t wait to see where she goes from here! Congratulations Aurelia!
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!
"Canals? That's exciting." The chance to take their Mer friends into the lands, to show them the world; of course, some Mer could transform and gain legs, but Mildew had known very few over the years that were able to use that ability. "A shift? How exciting, darling. What can you become?"
Honestly, having quite so many Gods in one world sounded like it would cause stress; Mildew had seen mortals struggle to keep up with the three heralds, not even going higher up the hierarchy within Caido. The amount of prayers, offerings, offenses to avoid...even she might struggle with it. "So would you worship this Helios? Or was he just a servant of the other God and not worthy of followers?"
Safrin didn't bestow gifts to just anyone; Mildew smiled approvingly at the news that Arialla had been given her Attunement from the star Goddess. "That's good. You must have impressed her."
"The canals are beautiful, too, full of starlight." Arialla smiled at Mildew's compliment. "You saw my eagle already, but I can also become a dolphin, so I can spend time in the ocean."
For a moment Arialla considered Mildew's question, trying to think how to explain. "You would be more likely to pray to Apollo for things concerning the sun -- to make sure it shone on your crops, for example. But we would still give thanks to Helios for his work, as well. I worked in the temple of Apollo, but we had smaller shrines to lesser gods."
Arialla smiled again, and blushed a little. "I wonder how, sometimes, but of course I wouldn't dream of questioning her judgment. If she thinks me worthy, then I am most honored."
"A dolphin!" Mildew exclaimed, putting her hands together. "Wonderful creatures, though not without cruelty. Have you ever interacted with any in the sea?"
She waited patiently for an answer to her question about Helios; she knew Gods could be quite complicated, especially to mortals that hadn't had the lifetimes she'd had to experience them. Sipping at her tea, she scrunched up her nose, thinking that she'd have to try harvest from somewhere else next time, as it was more bitter than usual. Mildew looked up when Arialla spoke again. "I see...it would be interesting to meet these Gods, if they truly are different...maybe one day they might find themselves here too. Ha!"
Mildew laughed, knowing that the Outlanders had something to do with the Voice, who as far as she was concerned had nothing but some fancy metal and tricks. She doubted the 'new Goddess' could bring through deities.
"To honour her favour, you should accept your worth. A God's opinion is a dangerous thing to disagree with." With a soft smile, she tilted her cup towards Arialla. "You seem like a lovely, beautiful young lady, dear."
"Not yet," Arialla admitted. "I'm pretty new to the shift -- I haven't had a chance to use it much. Dolphins bring good fortune, though -- or so the sailors and fishermen at home believed. Like my father."
If this were a year ago, Arialla would have grown somber and even tearful at the mention of her father, whom she loved, whom she would never see again. But she'd gotten stronger since then, and now the mention brought her more comfort than pain. Speaking about her father, recalling things he'd taught her -- it felt like she was keeping his memory alive in this strange place.
Arialla laughed too, at the image of a god brought through by the Voice's magic. She didn't take the possibility seriously either, but the idea was amusing. "I think they'd be even more upset at the move than I was. No, Caido has enough gods -- meaning no disrespect, of course."
Then Arialla blushed at Mildew's compliment. "Thank you. You're right; I wouldn't dare disagreeing with her -- or you -- on the matter. I am honored, and proud, to hear such things from both of you."
"Then you must be sure to bring people good fortune yourself, hm?" Mildew asked with a smirk, setting down her cup and going to shuffle in a drawer nearby for something, continuing to listen and nod while she searched.
Taking no offence (in fact, she rather agreed - Mildew had learnt of the new swathes of Demi Gods, and maybe it was jealousy, but she thought there were too many) she just laughed in agreement. "None taken. The introduction of one New 'God' has already caused hundreds of years worth of problems." Quite what the Voice was, Mildew wasn't sure, but she certainly wasn't on the same level as the holy Deities that had been there at the creation of Caido.
"I am nowhere near the level of someone like Safrin, but I am honoured all the same. Now. If you did want to know more specifically just how your future will be shaped..." Bringing out a pack of cards and a candle from the drawer, Mildew set them down before her. "I can tell you."
