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!
Surprised, she looked up from the carnage in the snow. That something she took for granted might not be common knowledge was a new concept to the starchild. But the bewilderment was soon transformed into excitement as she launched into an explanation.
"Stormbreak have ships that sail through the air!" she happily shared. "Big galleys, small skips, any size you can imagine. A new port for docking and casting off was made in Torchline recently, so it's possible to travel freely between the cities."
Scooping out the snowball from the model, she began to shape it into something new. A boat, small and crude for now but quickly gaining details beneath eager hands. "I'm supposed to meet father there, and oversee repairs together," she added. "If there's no other choice..." Scowling at the ship she was creating, Seren sighed. "But I'm sorry. Wishing Halo to build something just so I can come and go comfortably is selfish, isn't it. I don't even know if you all would like a port. Or need one. And... and Abandoned or Ascended can't come to Stormbreak. Because of The Voice."
It's written in the stars above Exactly who we are is just enough
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Ships that sailed through the air – a pause in the furrowing of his brow gave way to the tantamounts of curiosity, blatantly staring up into the sky as if they’d appear there. But they didn’t, because this was Halo, and not a region made up of such things, so he was left to his own imagination (usually poorly undone and condemned to scheming instead). He was no fool to the vessels, not with being born right next to sea, so it was only in brief wonderings and parallels, picturing the ships of his youth, or the ones he’d seen drifting along Torchline’s docks, rising through clouds instead of water.
But what made it all the more clear was that Stormbreak, and therefore the Order, might have found a way to manifest their means and roots into the world. Just a little more. Just a little further. More than mere talk and hearsay.
He kept that under wraps too, clenching his jaw only once; eyes glancing at her wayward boat. “I doubt the Warden would see much need.” Considering Morgan was Abandoned herself, and had no inclinations in assisting the Order. Might prefer the continued, persistent isolation if it kept her inhabitants safe.
And then there was the additional caveat and undertones of racism – towards those like himself, and those who’d gone along a much different path. “There are a number of us here.” No shame, but simple truth – and maybe the mountains had become a more protective void that any of them had imagined.
Seren nodded glumly, to both statements. She could well understand that there was no appeal in making something for a city where ones citizens would not all be received, or treated equally. Deimos' quiet 'us' confirmed that he indeed was abandoned, or a hybrid thereof - as she suspected - which only made her feel worse about the backwards way of thinking in her home city.
"I really wish there was a way of changing that stupid name back to what it was," she muttered. "So many 'Abandoned', all because of one greedy person. It's not fair. Magic is beautiful, I don't see what the problem is." She only had to look at what Deimos created right here, before her eyes; what was wrong with moving water? What was wrong with being able to play with the world? She really ought to talk to her mother about it.
The real problem remained, though. The portal, the long way home, a father waiting worriedly for news... Pale fingers began to tremble from the cold, and the little sculpted boat slipped from her hands and broke as it landed on the ground. "Oh no," the girl sighed, and pressed the fingers against her lips. Even in the bright sunlight, they felt icy and numb.
It's written in the stars above Exactly who we are is just enough
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
There was a muffled, hollowed sort of laughter from deep in his chest; it came out quiet and stifled, as if the notions weren’t really amusing, but he didn’t know where else to put the sentiments. “Zariah tried it once. It did not stick.” Though that was likely due to the number of other domineering, dictated rule changes, where a majority of them seditiously clawed their way around the world, intending to put a cease and desist to the tyrannical measures.
Perhaps the real difficulty in the situation, even if he felt no shame in it, was that they had no control over being born with incantations. Where he once lived it’d been expected – and stranger still if no one had carried some semblance of enchantments. And here, because of a single individual, it meant they were somehow lesser; even when he, and so many others, had fought tooth and nail and claw to protect, to defend, to shield, to mend, utilizing those same talents. Betwixt and between. Hypocritical and stupid. But he shrugged his shoulders, watching as her boat collapsed. “One was apparently all it took.” In a motion of those horrendous measures, he ensured it maintained its shape again, renewed, as if it had never been broken.
He tilted his head in thought, eyes ghosting elsewhere. “How do you intend to get home then?”
The amicable mood had really shifted into something else. It was as though a private cloud had settled on them, for all that the sun was glittering down from a clear sky overhead. Seren felt it, and disliked the gloom. All the more because she didn't know how to return them from this somber subject. With regret, she even wondered if it was possible anymore. "Zariah... Who is that, again?" The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't recall where she would have heard it.
Expressive lips pressed together in a line of grim determination as she thought of the unfairness of the Abandoned lot. Then they softened into uncertainty, as her gaze flicked to the Halo resident. "If I were to speak with Mother about it... do you think it would be seen as offensive? On your part, and the others? I don't know that it will do any good, but... I could try." She could be an advocate, of sorts. If it was wanted. If they felt there was a need.
As for getting home, Seren shrugged. She only had two real options. "I think... I'm going to risk disappointing my goddess and use the portal. Just once. I can't say I look forward to it - " she indeed looked a bit uneasy "- but it beats trekking for months through the Wild." Scooping up the repaired ship - would this become a habit, for Deimos to mend her broken toys? - she set it neatly next to her snow sculpture, and tucked frozen hands into the deep pockets of the coat.
It's written in the stars above Exactly who we are is just enough
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Perhaps it was better off to not know the ruthless, irritating once Queen – the family name had seemingly diminished in the past few years, fading away with its trivialties and pursuits. Loren had struck it away from his heralding, and Deimos only knew of Neron remaining – unless there were others somewhere, hidden and isolated. His voice came along on a low rumble and grumble, a shrug of his shoulders, as if the meaning had dissipated long ago – just a brief visitation into history and baffling power dynamics. “A former ruler of the Hollowed Grounds. Supposedly dead and gone now.” Before they strived to rebel, concoct and hatch schemes in the basement of a bakery, before everything else seemed damned and doomed to flicker apart.
So he eased away from it – only to be further baffled by her inquiry. His eyes rounded, uncertain how to best approach it. He’d spoken at length with her mother many times; and only rarely did she seem to insinuate he was a burden, or unworthy, because of his Abandoned status. It was mostly all his other flaws and defects. “I have talked to Safrin on numerous occasions. Perhaps she hides it well, but she does not condemn me for having magic.” Or hadn’t yet, anyway. He figured it would’ve happened long before. “And Attuned me,” he inclined with a tilt of his head. “Perhaps it is merely the people that do not understand.” Or prejudices long since buried, given chances to rise. “So I am not certain how it would help.” They made due; changing the world in other ways.
The uneasy fixtures on her face at the mention of portals, of using them, caused his brows to furrow once more, but only in deeper contemplations. “Will you be punished for it?” Or was it just the significance that they’d been created and maintained by the Voice?
Remembering lessons learned with the reminder, Seren nodded that she understood and let the matter drop. It was much before her time, and a ruler who did not have much impact on the great scheme of things, as they stood now. Momentary unrest, followed by other governing persons who... were perhaps more troublesome.
"I see. That's good, at least, that she hasn't been unfair," Seren smiled. It warmed her, to think that there was ever so slight a connection between her and the general, through Safrin. "I don't know that it will do much when it comes to the gods, it's true. But if she gives her blessing for it, I could bring the matter up with others, who are more hard-headed. The Order, for example." It would be interesting, if things came to that. Seren had not involved herself with the organization so far, but perhaps a conversation would be needed, in time.
With her hands tucked into the warmth of the coat, a slow burn was starting up as the fingers thawed. Flexing and shifting them to ease the discomfort, Seren shifted, to give Deimos a startled look of her own. "Punished? I don't know." Tilting her head, she thought about it. "Scolded, probably. I am not where I'm supposed to be - there will likely be repercussions for that, in some way. But anything more...? I can't say." It would be up to Safrin to determine how bad a transgression the use of the portal device was. While Seren wasn't doing it out of spite, she was choosing the convenient option. "If I am, I suppose it is only fair," she decided, content to accept whatever would come.
It's written in the stars above Exactly who we are is just enough
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Eyes downcast, staring down at makeshift Basins and sculptures, he missed her drawn smile, picking apart pieces of snow that didn’t belong within some ornate boundaries. Deimos didn’t know if any of this would truly matter – having an open conversation about those with incantations, if it would lead to anything, He hemmed and hawed amidst his whirlwind of thoughts, bridging in between before finally coming to some manner of fruition in his mind, layering it behind his teeth. “That is up to you. But I think you should be prepared in case it nothing changes.” He paused, considering within a sigh. “And I do not want anything worse to fall upon us.” Perhaps it felt safe and meaningful for Seren to start upon this aspiration, but it wasn’t something that would personally affect her. Just them. Even if he wasn't bothered, there were scores more that could've been.
He did happen to catch the startled look on her features though, arching a brow and inwardly cringing. Perhaps he’d come from too many worlds where there were blatant consequences to actions; presuming some manner of punishment (not severe or strict, maybe, but something if there was a layer of concern or trepidation lingering there). He’d received his fair share, and issued many more.
Deimos should’ve known better, really; given more to his thoughts and introspections over the past few years – some had been maimed and murdered without repercussion. But Seren seemed far more ready to accept the inevitable, far more than the others he could think of. “A lecture, then?” A tiny quirk of a smile reappeared, alongside a residual shrug of his shoulders.
It had not occurred to her that standing up to those out of favor with the world might bring even more ill fortunes down on them. The general's caution made her realize that helping might not be as simple as she would have thought. At the same time, she loathed the idea of doing nothing. She was born into a unique position, blessed with power and her Mother's favor. Was it not her duty to use it for the good of others? "I'll be careful," she promised, with the air of one who had been given much to think about.
Flashing a quick grin back at the conclusion of repercussions, Seren shrugged and nodded. "It is what parents are for, I hear. It'll be fine, probably. Nothing to worry about." Rising to her feet, she drew in a deep breath and sighed, so that a cloud of vapor rose gold-lined and shimmering to the vaulted sky. Stretching this way and that, the ache in her muscles eased and she took a step back to appreciate the elevated view over the Basin.
"It looks even better from above," she said appreciatively about the snow-scape. "What was it like, living there?"
It's written in the stars above Exactly who we are is just enough
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Considering her platitudes towards being careful in her latest segment of stories, Deimos could only arch his brow again, but let it go with a firm nod. Perhaps she’d be successful. Perhaps she wouldn’t and naught would change. Perhaps there’d be some residual anger and hostility.
He snorted at the insinuation of scolding, of lectures, of what parents were for. He’d received his fair share in times of youth and boyhood maelstroms; whether or not they were listened to or resounded along his stubborn, tenacious skull was another story. His mother had done her best and his father had greeted him with mischief; and somewhere along the lines he’d strived to be somewhat of a role model for Kiada. That particular notion ambled forth in an inward grimace and a sigh, because he’d clearly committed an error somewhere.
The inquiry about the Basin finally drudged up any further spoken words; the faint outline of a smile returning to his features. The General didn’t even bother to hide the pride or fondness in his voice. “You had to be strong and determined to survive there. But it was wonderful.” A finger pointed to the little pool he’d made to represent the watering hole; favored in the valley. “We had a lake that never froze,” and then the digit maneuvered to the next sightseeing position. “Hot springs to mend and soothe after battles,” and then finally to the twin monoliths at the forefront. “And statues that could sense an intruder.”
This man could really put a lot into a snort. There was much sentiment being expelled there, though unfortunately Seren only picked up on what she thought might be amusement. Fortunately his reticense did not last long, and as Deimos launched into a tour around the Basin, the young woman listened with interest.
"It sounds almost like Halo," she noted, intrigued with the parallells. "And the sentient statues remind me of something we have in Stormbreak. Too bad there are no hot springs here, or it would almost be like your old home. Imagine if the Sea of Glass opened up though... wouldn't that be a sight!" Not exactly a lake to splash around in, but it might do marvels for the region. Fishing, she imagined, would gain an upswing when one no longer had to dig through solid ice to reach the water. Not to mention the excitement of seeing all that ice crack open!
Let's be real, that part got her most excited.
It's written in the stars above Exactly who we are is just enough
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Her implication over parallels wasn’t lost on him; he’d long since understood and comprehended the aligned proportions, and adhered to this world as quickly because of them. Much like the sea, the mountains were in his blood, elemental fixtures drawn and sculpted, carved and whittled, until bones were summits and muscles were crag. He and Kiada had once stood within a book, striving to chase after this wayward world, before they’d realized Zariah’s hands in it, before everything else had come tumbling through – happier times, maybe, in the awes of mystery and enigmas, in the promise and delight of better days.
Similarities in sentient statues along Stormbreak made him wonder of their own varieties of technology; if they were meant to act much the same way as the monoliths of old. From his crouch, he applied a very light pair of eyes for each towering structure, as if to make them more menacing. “Do yours detect intruders as well?” Or were there easier means and measures to concoct and unravel? An improved prowess and reform? His eyes lingered downward again, considering other proportions. “Hotaru has thought about making a hot springs here, in addition to her spa.” So it could be a probability very soon.
A mild laugh followed on the proclamation of the Sea of Glass; maybe a future project, or something best left to nature itself. “Have you been there before?” It seemed her adventures took her to multitudes of places, whether or not parental scorn persisted and hovered.
Seren pursed her lips, something like unease or perhaps distaste twisting her features. "In a way," she replied. "They react to the presence of... those who are not permitted within the city. Ascended, magic users... They turn intruders into stone." No trials, no excuses, no leniency for those who entered unawares; it was a cold and swift upholding of the law that must have been construed during worse times than these. Seren couldn't fathom how anyone would create such cruel devices otherwise.
It never occurred to her that she maybe shouldn't be divulging these things. That there might be secrets she could not share, or individuals that were better off not trusted. That Deimos was a follower of her mother carried more weight to her than that he was the general of a foreign nation; she simply did not see the borders drawn on the map, and it became all too clear as she went on.
"Oh, no. Not yet. I've only seen maps and diagrams of the regions. But I would love to go there, one day. I want to see all of it, all of Caido. It's all so beautiful, right? It would be a shame not to appreciate it while I have the chance."
It's written in the stars above Exactly who we are is just enough
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Ah; and there was another indication of the malice and menace. While their sentient beings towering before the Aurora Basin hadn’t been marked for specific races, just the notion of trespassers, interlopers, and any other audacious fool, Stormbreak’s had been marked for churning those designated into rocks. He snorted again, his impression of the city becoming less and less with each passing wake of information. It could be intriguing notations to keep in the back of his mind though; additional risks and no rewards sanctioned for those of his caliber and existence. “Sounds unfortunate.” He had half a notion to wonder, to ask, if she condoned the behavior, but figured it wouldn’t be worth it. Seren had already conformed to championing for the Abandoned, and one individual’s opinion might not alter any course of an establishment already pre-conditioned in their contempt.
There were other notions to attend to anyway; more construed in peace and repose, rather than the damned outskirts of a world he, and many of his constituents, weren’t permitted within. Another curl of a smile remained, chiseled in the corners of his mouth, haphazard agreement, maybe, slow and subtle rather than an expression of exuberance amidst the wonder. “This world is still quite vast.” Much to see, much to encounter. “Have you been to the other portions of the Wilds at all?” Pondering, while he shifted some more snow around the outset of the Basin, while Belial ducked underneath his arm for attention, if there were other regions to explore, or if she too had ever been teleported elsewhere.
