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!
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
The beast managed another laugh, loosening it from the hinges of all his other reticent features. She made it sound like he was some brick wall to be worn down and apart, and nearly commented on it when he realized there was some truth to the matter, and kept that hidden too. “Dragons probably should not be first on the list,” he commented with those hints of bemusement, with lingering smiles often a touch too burdened – eyes flickering down towards the ground, beyond his dangling legs and the wall holding them upright. Maybe he was just hungry. “Food?” He offered, by means of leaving for a moment to go find something in the cabinets.
But her question kept him there for now – watching very carefully, tilting his head a fraction. At the inquiry, however, another chuckle conjured and emerged, because the explanation and notion was going to sound very childish. “I offered it a carrot,” and he said this low, as if Zuriel would somehow hear about his sharing of her treats. “And it spit it out in the water and left. Rejected.” He permitted the somber affect to remain for a second more, before the grin reappeared, juvenile all over again.
04-30-2021, 03:09 PM (This post was last modified: 04-30-2021, 03:09 PM by Aisha.)
what will you do when the vultures come for you, run and hide?
Aisha huffed her amusement, finishing off this last glass as she shook her head. "No they shouldn't," she confirmed, then placed her glass back down as he refilled their bottle with his creation magics. Food was a fantastic idea, to sate nipping hunger in her stomach, only emboldened by the drink. "Please," came her reply, playfully exasperated.
Before he left they spoke of water horses, once again she laughed when he explained himself. So they weren't fond of carrots, maybe it was the color, the smell, the taste? Aisha could agree, carrots were ass. "I don't blame it, carrots are the worst vegetable," she teased, a broccoli stan till the end. Green vegetables were her favorite, perhaps Deimos could conjure up a celery stick when he went in for snacks. If not, all the more reason for the greenhouse to be finished.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
He permitted one demonstrative eyeroll at her clear lack of vegetable tastes, before leaving her with the bottle. “Do not drink it all,” as a warning, though it was easily manifested into bemusements, and then he drifted downwards, still steady and stalwart, along the hillside, and back into the training grounds lower proportions, intending to rifle and forage through what remained in the cabinets.
It didn’t take him long to drift his way past targets, hallways, and into parlors, seeking and searching out the remains of some ursur jerky, a few spare fruits laden from the markets of Torchline, and some bread. Meandering back through, he reappeared some moments later with the spread of wares atop the hill, placing them down along the snow with a few plates adorned. Quickly and efficiently he sliced pieces of the baked morsel, waiting for her to take some before he set apart demolishing a portion. “So,” Deimos mentioned, started, in between bites. “What are you planning first?”
what will you do when the vultures come for you, run and hide?
How did he know her so well, she'd definitely planned on sneaking a new glass full once he'd left. She raised her hands in surrender, glancing about in a devilishly suspicious manner. Her teasing expression melted into a grin as he hopped from the wall and slipped away to go back inside, collecting the meal to accompany their booze.
True to her plans, Aisha grabbed the bottle and chugged a bit, placing it back quickly and wiping her mouth. He returned with a meal, lacking in greens but a meal nonetheless. She jumped down from her perch, bringing the glasses and bottle with her, it sloshed about inside but did not spill. With a satisfied grin she sat, not minding the cold beneath her. She was plenty used to it by now.
They dug into their meals, Aisha starting with the fruits. She'd just bitten into a ripe and perfectly crunchy apple when he asked his question, she held her hand to her mouth as she spoke between chews, "Our first hunt I'm thinking ursur, maybe frost giant? Something not too hard."
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
His eyes went to the bottle suspiciously, narrowing his gaze in sharpened opuses, before casting another meticulous set of incantations, ensuring it was filled to the brim once more. He topped off their glasses, though on some portion he wondered if she deserved any; before snagging at more bread, eyes lifting to the sky overhead. His entire body relaxed, no longer so coiled, so unyielding, so contorted into the taut, rigid venues – either due to the alcohol or the company.
The Sword’s head tilted too, muffling a snort at her insinuation that the gigantic bears weren’t too hard. “If I recall, I was mauled by an ursur.” And while Zuriel had healed him, it still didn’t mean the massive creatures were easy. Perhaps if they went in a collected assortment of numbers. And the last one was completely foreign to him – so his brows quirked upward. “I have never encountered a frost giant. Have you?”
what will you do when the vultures come for you, run and hide?
Despite having taken some when he wasn't looking (as if he wouldn't know), Aisha received another full glass. With a tipsy finesse she snatched back the glass, taking a sip before another bite of honey crisp was taken. The flavors went well together, the crisp sweetness and the warm sting. She crossed her legs beneath her now, leaning in.
"Yes well, maybe I was joking a little wise guy," she replied. She knew in all honesty that ursur were not to be underestimated, especially frost giants according to what she'd read. Not hard was probably- definitely the wrong wording, even if they'd had a successful ursur hunt the first time, Zuriel was there to patch up any injuries. It was always a boon to have the haughty unicorn along.
"I haven't," she shook her head, grabbing some bread and peeling along the crust, eating that first, "but it's something new to look into. I've read on them; huge, vicious, and solitary. I'm sure there are ways to take them out, especially if there are many of us."
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
The Sword picked over some portions of jerky, ripping it apart without preamble, content once more. Another round of quiet laughter and a shake of his head followed at her wise guy remark, pondering over the information on the solitary creatures: huge and vicious. And while their hunt for ursurs always came with the additional proportions of meat, furs, claws, and bones, he wasn’t certain on the ramifications of pursuing the aforementioned beasts. For more nuances and collected knowledge? Simply because they could? While Deimos had a detailed history with monsters, with demolition, and with destruction, there’d always been a set of sentiments and calculations behind it.
The leviathan? So they didn’t all die while trying to obtain the cure for their sickness. The sea panther? So it would cease barbarically annihilating people on Torchline’s coast. The host of other ventures had been in pursuit of something, but his uncertainty lingered within on these semblances. Maybe it was the alcohol clouding his perceptions. “Is there a purpose to hunting a frost giant?”
what will you do when the vultures come for you, run and hide?
It was a great question, the purpose of such a dangerous hunt. She would never go after something just for the sake of it, in this case resource and research were her main reasons. "Frost giant hide is really thick, could be useful if we managed to kill one. Mostly I'd like to observe, maybe a scouting mission would be better. Learn more about them, see what the threat might be and if it's worth and actual hunt," she explained, munching on a bit of jerky.
Then she shrugged, the humors of the liquor bleeding into the more serious topics, "I don't know maybe they taste good too, giant jerky?"
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
Thick hides; likely to be warming intricacies for a number of individuals amidst their chilly, cold region. He nodded, thinking it over, a little more addled and less calculating in the glasses of alcohol, taking in a few more swallows before continuing to munch on the jerky. He waited until he’d finished one portion before answering, responding with his own volitions. “Scouting first, then determine, would be a fair strategy.” If it would be too risky, if it would be too daring, if it would be too bold, considering her members, and any of their stalwart abilities. But it wasn’t his to determine or decide, which he angled with a smirk.
The following sentiments rankled through though made him choke on the latest bout of jerky in his mouth, coughing and laughing all at once – a very boyish wrinkle sent to his nose, in the underlying dimples, in the juvenile grin. Glimpses of what he could’ve been, had he never been forced to wear so much armor. “They should let you try it first. Guildmaster honors.”
05-02-2021, 06:31 PM (This post was last modified: 05-02-2021, 06:32 PM by Aisha.)
what will you do when the vultures come for you, run and hide?
Aisha was confident in her own determination but a second opinion was always valued. Deimos's agreement was taken with a satisfied nod, "I think so," she replied through a mouthful of ursur jerky. The following jokes brought her to laughter too, a combination of the hilarity in their words as well as just a response to the grin upon his face and the boom of his cheery tones.
"I will! I'm not scared of trying new things," she replied through a rumbling chuckle, then washed down the last of her jerky with some more honeyed drink. "What do you want to hunt, if not giants and ursur?" she asked, the mirth and mischief of a smile still bright in her eyes though she was truly curious about his answer.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
Uncertain if that I’m not scared of new things statement was a jibe in his direction or merely hit too close to home, the Sword opted to snort, rather than meddle too deep into the factions. In truth, the monolith preferred his routines, but frequently glimpsed into the unknown too – curious, nosey, prone to inquisition when some level of comfort had been achieved. Anyone and everyone breathed better in familiarity – but Caido opted to provide and preside in those foreign concepts as well, unwinding, unfurling, in alternative directions with each passing season. He traced after those foundations just as well; and had a multitude of trials awaiting him in its stead.
More bread aligned with his notions, concentrating on the inquiry lanced back his way. Deimos had seen a great many things – some gentle beasts, only craving mending, assuaging lines, some monstrous beacons, only indulging in violence (and he reciprocated in turn), and those lingering in between. “I would like to know more about those in the Wilds.” The mere glimpses hadn’t been quite enough – birds and water horses were merely surface level proportions. There were hoards more to see, to understand – like the gargantuan creatures along the Sea of Glass, or the primordial leviathan. What was their purpose? “Maybe not so much as hunt, but research.” Not to stalk and take aim, but to comprehend.
05-04-2021, 02:34 AM (This post was last modified: 05-04-2021, 02:48 AM by Aisha.)
what will you do when the vultures come for you, run and hide?
The wilds, new and unexplored and vast. They sought to learn about monsters and beasts that were native and known, to polish the knowledge of ursur and giants and dragons, but meanwhile there was a whole continent of creatures not even named. It was an exciting thought, not daunting, or maybe that was a trick of the liquor. Aisha just wanted to be a part of it all, "Me too, never did find out if that bird was actually poisonous, but I've got the feather still."
"And there’s that whole teleporting thing," she added, with less levity than before. It was a troubling matter, intriguing mostly, but at the same time there had to be some powerful force behind it.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
Exciting or daunting seemed to be the threshold for a multitude of things in Caido. Depending on one’s correlation of experiences, they likely intermingled and remained interchangeable; Deimos had seen his fair share of both – amusements, and then apprehension coiling within. Looking for a dragon had started out with its parameters of alliances, friendships, and camaraderie, and then had quickly diminished into a horrifying, torturous wake. The tides turned quickly here – in the mountains, the sea, or anywhere melded and molded in between.
Half a smile rested on his mouth, around another portion of jerky as she recalled the bird. “Could always test it on a hunt.” And if he’d been incorrect about the whole thing, it was still a small matter. They’d be able to pencil in on documents that it brought no harm, despite its bright, vivid, warning colors. The same could be said if he was right; and big ominous lettering marked in between, beside sketches and hues.
He laughed at the mention of them being snagged and taken from their bemusements, and thrown into the throes of the jungle. It was likely the liquor’s arrangement for his chuckles, because the notion hadn’t been funny when it first occurred – confusing, bewildering, and unsettling, until he’d figured out their bearings. “It does cause somewhat of a problem.” However, there was a strange inconsistency with it – unpredictable and varied. He’d yet to discuss it with very many, but the bizarreness stayed chiseled in the back of his mind, clouding with the alcohol. “But I have gone to the Wilds afterwards, and not been teleported.”
what will you do when the vultures come for you, run and hide?
True, test it on something dangerous and aggressive or fated to fall to their sharp unrelenting edges. It could just be a bird, vibrant in color to match the jungle around, or it could be as Deimos said. Either way, she had pages to fill, the memory so fresh and clear in her mind. "We should, you've got to come with though or I might not tell the truth, can't tempt my ego like that," she teased, leaning back and relaxing into the last sip of her drink. That might be enough liquor for now, but after a few more bites and laughs who knew.
Aisha chuckled along, suddenly finding the troubling situation rather funny. Yes, it definitely was the liquor, and maybe the situational irony. Really, that'd happened to them? Teleported halfway across the world only to move on with their lives? They were so used to Caido and its fanciful whims, nothing was ever so surprising anymore. "Hm, I guess we're just unlucky," she drawled, words longer and slower, "or lucky, depending on how you look at it." She snorted, levity bubbling up and dancing in her eyes.
