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!
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
Scared, disgusted - it didn’t matter why he left, only that he was gone. And unlikely to betray them by lingering in the Grounds to gain information. “Well, good riddance,” she adds with a gruff growl. The roof of the Atheneum peaks over the tops of the closest buildings and Wessex knows they’re relatively close to his destination. “You know, if you or your mother ever need anything, you need only ask. You’re both family now.” And family is important to her, NPC and otherwise.
“I think we got lucky too,” she adds quietly, indicating that his ascension was a win-win situation in her mind.
“Do you have any questions for me. About… anything?” As a fairly new Ascended, there are surely questions she could answer for him, if he has any.
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Wessex's offer receives a shy but warm smile from the young Ascended. "Thank you. We'll let you know if anything comes up." Knowing that someone else is watching out for his mom, watching out for him, is a new feeling. Nikolai welcomes it fully.
The General's words however have the new Ascended gaping, an impressive flush coming to his skin. "A..ah... thank you." Nikolai scrambles to answer, struggling to comprehend just what Wessex is saying. She sees his Ascension as a win? Him? Incredibly flattered, it takes him a minute before he's capable of speaking again. Capable of even wondering if he has questions.
When Nikolai's brain catches up, he finally give a small nod. "Just one right now. I know it takes a while to build up a resistance to sunlight. But when we do, do we even feel the sun? Warmth is so dulled now, I was curious." Most of the young Ascended's questions had been answered by books already.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
Huh. Quite the unexpected question. She’s visibly surprised, though that soon fades to something more thoughtful, tinged with shades of sadness.
“Not really,” she confesses. “And it’s probably one of the few things I miss.” Pausing for a moment, Wessex glances up at the sky before attempting to describe some things to the young Ascended. “You mostly just stop getting hurt by it. I think you might feel warmth in the Climb the most, because it’s part of a volcano. On one hand, you’ll never be unable to sleep on a Longheat night… and you’ll never freeze during Deepfrost either. You can walk for hours in the cold and never feel chilled. The same might be said for Hak Etme, I don’t really know…”
She’s never walked Hak Etme during the day. She could now, but it’s a wasteland. “I learned something about Hak Etme recently…” she begins, as the doors of the Atheneum come fully into view.
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai nods in understanding, glancing a the sky a little wistful. "I thought so. I suspected as much before I Ascended as well. Mentally prepared for it too. I suspect that when I finally build up enough tolerance to be able to go outside in the sun, it's going to incredibly weird at first." Hopefully it wouldn't be too disjointing for him.
Nikolai paused at the doors and turned to Wessex. "What is it? Did you find something?" he did his best to keep his voice calm and not portray any of the excitement and anxiety the Wraith's tone had invoked. Was there a threat? A new discovery? Nikolai's mind raced with possibilities as he waited for her to explain.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
“It’ll be easier sooner than you think,” an attempt at reassurance, or something like that. That all things come in time. “Seems to be tangential to strength, so let me know if you’d like to train some time. We can go at your speed.” Which is to say, as punishing or as easy as he likes, bookish person that he seems to be.
To his question, she looks both sly and thoughtful, somehow. “Turns out it wasn’t always a desert. Rae let a plague run rampant there. It killed everything. And the Voice gets shit on for the Blight when one of the Old Gods just… wiped out a whole ecosystem.” Her lips curl disdainfully at the thought, ready to spread the information far and wide in something that is probably a useless gesture, but ultimately self-satisfying.
“There’s so much we don’t know. Things lost to time. If you ever find yourself with time on your hands, look deeply in various libraries. There’s got to be more information out there somewhere.” And with that, she smiles and dips her head in farewell. “It was nice to meet you Nikolai. Come find me whenever you need something.”
