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!
It had been several seasons since Noah went to a shrine. While he wanted to continue to develop his knowledge and, perhaps, future relationships with his gods, the hunter had been left alone and cold at the altars enough to feel a little discouraged. When he came last, it was not with a god he spoke, but a spirit instead. Well, the hunter was not actually confident she had been a spirit -- she could have been an attuned all the same, playing with his heartstrings.
He knew, though, after so many conversations and thoughts and discoveries that he would need to seek the guidance of the gods more fully. He needed to understand better the workings of things he had discussed with others, look for ways to help and answers to his questions. He knelt before the shrine, covered tightly in thick furs and wool to keep warm, but as he moved his bag to relinquish his offering he took off his leather, ningo-lined mittens. Eira rubbed against his side, lowering down to curl up beside him. From his bag he took what he had brought: three fresh apples, a bundle of dried herbs, and a bouquet of beautiful flowers. He had gathered them all from his time in King's End. "Frey, hear me." He whispered, calling on the herald that Phoebe trusted so much.
feel defiance burning through my teeth it's not enough to drag this blade across the day
"Frey hears you, honey." They are before Noah without any pomp, simply a mirror of the hunter as he kneels before the shrine. "How beautiful." Reaching out, they gather the blooms and lift them up towards their nose, inhaling deeply.
They appear wearing nothing, as usual, though their bronzed skin seems to feel none of the cold. Indeed, Frey is comfortable in all climes and all weathers, though unlike their more sexually charged counterpart, Noah will feel no sensual urges upon regarding them.
No, all is peaceful. All is as it should be, as they say. "You have questions for me, peach," they murmur, lowering the bouquet. "I am listening."
The hunter felt as though his heart could burst from his chest. It did not pound against his ribcage like when he saw ursur in the distance, or when the dragon blinked Delphine away from him. No, this feeling was rather more a swelling. Warmth spread over him as he laid his eyes on Frey, who picked up the bundle of flowers Noah had brought for them. The hunter smiled, unabashedly, and a shaky breath left his mouth, "Thank you for coming to me." This was the first time Noah had interacted with a god or herald since he attuned, and even that was a foggy memory in his mind. It had happened when he was young.
"I do have a question for you." The Olson man shifted his body some to straighten and better look upon the herald, to take in the wonder and beauty displayed with such serenity. "It is about the Sparkbird, in the Holloweed Grounds." He lifted a brow, the back of his mind ticking with the possibilities of what Frey might think of a Halovian asking about the Grounds. "I spoke with Wessex, and she informed me that the bird had been trapped there. I don't think it is able to find where it really belongs, though." Noah shifted again, a slight nervousness settling over him.
"I have always respected the fauna of Caido." In Halo, they relied on the bounty that Rae chose for them, pelt and fur sustaining their lives. He respected that. He always worked to do what was right for both his people and the animals -- harvesting only what was necessary and taking out threats only as the last resort. "But I am not advanced enough on my own to help this bird. I was wondering if you could tell me where it came from, and how I might help it find its way there?"
feel defiance burning through my teeth it's not enough to drag this blade across the day
"Any time, doll." Frey takes one of the crisp apples next, biting into the sweet flesh and letting the juice trickle down their chin. They listen quietly to Noah's question, to the remarks about the Sparkbird, and an expression of exquisite sadness comes over their face as they lift their gaze to the Halovian hunter.
"A very admirable thought," Frey says, "but I am afraid it will not be possible. What happened in the Hollowed Grounds was tantamount to the bird's death throes, peach. It is gone now - and if it is still around at all, it will be wherever Caido resides. There were other attempts to free it and find its home, you see, but they did not come to fruition. I imagine the bird went mad with it, in the end."
The sadness that filled Frey's eyes took Noah by surprise. Eira, trilling gently and sweetly, stepped toward the Herald and moved to press her beak against them, golden eyes soft and warm. The hunter leaned back some, eyebrows knitting together and mouth falling slack. The Sparkbird was...dead? Or...if it wasn't, there was no way of helping it. There was no help that Noah could give that Caido couldn't give without trying, without thinking, without knowing.
"I, uh, I didn't know that." The Olson let a sigh fall from his lips, hands setting in his lap. He wanted t o say he was sorry, only because of the look in Frey's eyes. Being the herald of nature, Rae's ties, Noah knew that Frey must feel a great sadness in them beyond what he could understand. The loss of something that you protected and nurtured, Noah knew to be one of the greatest pains known to them. Glacier eyes moved then to Eira, realizing that losing that gryphon might be the only way Noah could understand, truly, how Frey felt. And he didn't want to. The hunter reached out to stroke Eira's long tail as she continued to sit by Frey.
"I want to help this world," Noah stated after a few minutes of silence, "I...I was raised to be good, to help, but I haven't been able to save anyone--" Not his mother, father, sister, Erebor, Weaver, Korbin, Delphine "--I think that's truly why I sought you, Frey, was to ask you how I can do that."
feel defiance burning through my teeth it's not enough to drag this blade across the day
"How were you to know, sweet thing?" Frey asks. "The Sparkbird, wherever it is now, will not bother the Grounds again." And nor will it come during LongNight, but that is all but a given. Then Eira approaches, and with fingers both soft and firm, Frey gives her an indulgent scritch. "Hello little one," they coo, taking another bite of the apple before setting it down for the gryphon to enjoy.
Then the stoic hunter with the glacial eyes speaks again, and Frey delivers to them their whole attention. "You wish to nurture and to nourish?" they ask. "Or to protect and defend? They are two different paths, peach. Tell me which you seek, and I can tell you how best you might proceed."
The kind-hearted companion rubs against Frey's fingers as they press into her, a purr from the depths of her chest filling the space between them. She did not hesitate when offered the remainder of the apple. She pulled the tart-and-sweet fruit apart with her beak, devouring quietly as she curled before the Herald.
Noah watched the ease with which Eira let herself be in the presence of Frey. It helped him relax, too, the formalities slipping as his comfort grew. He looked still to the Herald with reverence in his eyes that was surely a mirror to his heart, but he softened between Eira's actions and the way that Frey continued to speak to him using pet names. He took the time to contemplate the question, hands cupping in his lap. "To protect." He finally decided, looking back up at the herald with earnest, vulnerable honesty reflected in glacier eyes. Noah was not sure he knew how to nurture without some semblance of violence -- that was his nature, as a hunter, was it not? He did know, though, that the shifts he gained were parts and shadows and reflections of his soul -- and his most recent were predators.
feel defiance burning through my teeth it's not enough to drag this blade across the day
Frey smiles, benevolent and eternal as the snows that blanket Halo. "As noble a cause as any," they agree. "And you are doing your best now, are you not? There are creatures that roam Halo that would do your people harm. Nature and its whims will not be denied blood, when it gets its chance. Hunters hunt, and predators feast on prey. It is the way of things."
With a shrug of consideration that very much suggests they are trying to help Noah draw his own conclusions, Frey leans back on one hand. "Who is most important to you, doll? Who do you wish to protect? Your family, your friends? Your city...? The world? We cannot do everything at once. I can equip you with tools to protect, but it will do no good unless you know your cause."
04-21-2021, 04:16 PM (This post was last modified: 04-21-2021, 04:17 PM by Noah.)
NOAH
set a fire for tomorrow set it to your woes
Noah was silent as Frey spoke. He focused on their words and let them sink down into his body. It was true -- nature always got its way, always went with how it was designed and programmed. Frey knew that more than any, being herald to the god who orchestrated it all. Though, when Frey asked their question, Noah had to think harder. Was he doing his best? He thought he had been, thought he had been working to be good as he had been raised. He toiled for the government, working to better Halo for all citizens. His labor in hunting kept him on the tundra for days at a time, bringing home sustenance for those that needed it. But...was it all his best? His critical nature wanted to say no, but there was something about Frey's voice that kept that harsh whisper at bay.
The following questions, however, demanded an answer. Noah's mouth opened some before words dropped from his lips, as if they had gotten stuck coming past his tongue. His eyebrows came together as he hesitated on his answer. Who was his family, now? Parents dead, Ezekiel adventuring on the winds, Korbin and Weaver and all other Hales lost to him. He did have friends, though, in the wake of those he had lost. They seemed all able to do their own protecting, and they all even seemed to have Deimos in their shadow, ready to guard.
His answer finally came with some confidence. "I aim to be a sentinel for the people of Halo." Because that answer covered all those that Noah cared for.
feel defiance burning through my teeth it's not enough to drag this blade across the day
Patient as the Deepfrost snows, Frey sits and waits for Noah to chew over his answers, to decide what it is he stands for, what it is he wishes to protect. And the response, when it does come, has the herald smiling.
They scritch at Eira's fluff and feathers one more time before shifting to rise to their feet. "Well then, hunter. Let us equip you to do your very best in these endeavours. When you have done what is required, bring what you have hunted to me, and we will see what can be done."
Noah has received a quest from Frey:
- 1 thread hunting a frost giant and harvesting its leathery hide
- 1 thread hunting an ursur, harvesting its claws
- 1 thread keeping watch over the Citadel all night
- Host a PQ to EITHER: run a hunting party (what you hunt is your choice) OR to bolster the defences around the Citadel walls
Eira's body pulses with delight each time the herald touches them. Noah can't help but feel it too, over their soul bond. Grateful, golden eyes look to Frey as they step up and away, joyful chirps of salutations lifted in their wake. Noah lowers his head some, respectful and careful, before he thanks Frey. "Thank you for hearing me today."
There was work to be done, and the hunter would not hesitate to begin. The blessings he had already received, and those he would receive in the future, would not be in vain for the gods. Noah would use them well, as best as he could, to do as he felt called. With Frey's support for the desire in his heart, Noah would set off and work towards moving what he was already becoming, and with their help he would not fail.
He couldn't, else his Olson name be removed.
-FIN
feel defiance burning through my teeth it's not enough to drag this blade across the day
