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!
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
For Noah to stumble upon Wessex in the Fangs, where they first met, and give her the information of what was he set out to do was quite the coincidence.
"I have not seen one since I as a teenager. The dangers that ursur pose, though, are nothing compared to these giants." Even when Noah had seen one of the giants last, it had been while he was fleeing from it. He only remembered the glances he took over his own shoulder as he sprinted across the tundra with Erebor pushing him on and tossing boulders back at it. Somehow they had managed to make it to safety. That was only a few weeks before the eldest Hale died at the decision of an ursur.
Noah paused for a moment, looking over to Wessex. He shifted the pack on his back, arrows ticking against the side of his quiver. "Thank you for coming with me, but if you need to leave at any time you surely can." He had not invited anyone else out onto his endeavor with him because he knew it would be dangerous -- Wessex had crossed his path by happenstance.
dont know where the lights are taking us but something in the night is dangerous
One good turn deserves another; and to be honest, this kind of challenge is absolutely the type of stupid-dangerous-bragworthy kind of adventure she’s always craved.
“I saw one a couple of years ago.” Which is to say, she summoned one, but that kind of detail doesn’t need to revealed. “Right around when the portal opened. It was… formidable, to say the least.” Beneath the acknowledgement of danger is the glimmer of an excited grin after she returns from a quick trip home to gather some supplies - rope is always handy, her bow and arrow, normal human medical stuff, just in case.
“Which begs the question - why? This doesn’t feel like a regular hunting trip.” More curious than suspicious (after all, the dangers are far greater for Noah than for herself), Wessex is happy to help but doesn’t yet see the necessity of such an exploration. Unless Noah is more like the demigod than she’s pegged him for and is in it for funsies.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
"Frey." Noah said simply in answer to Wessex's questioning. "I've been given tasks." A smirk of a smile curled the corner of his lip, barely noticeable past the thickness of the blond beard he let grow wild in the last few weeks. What, exactly, he would receive from the end of this quest Noah did not know. But he had asked for the herald's help, and he trusted that they would truly help him.
"Eira spotted some movement of them coming in and out of cave systems. She's gone out scouting for them everyday since we were tasked, since she can fly and stay out of harms way." At the mention of her name, in the sky circling above them, the griffin trilled out. She sent a flash of the save opening to Noah, and he nodded. "West." He gestured, upwards and out, sending them onward in their direction from the companion.
dont know where the lights are taking us but something in the night is dangerous
His answer gives her pause; caution lights start to whirl in the forefront of her mind until she has to stop behind Noah, ankle-deep in the snow. “Will the results of this task be turned against the Ascended?” she asks bluntly, hating to give the current tensions a place here but nevertheless keenly aware that she and her kin have acted in their own disinterest before. “I have to ask,” she adds, trying to sound more apologetic than resigned. Given everything that's going on, she can only hope the hunter understands that it isn't personal.
Or is it that she’s asking it not be used against them? Not even Wessex may know the answer to that - but one thing is quite obvious: she can’t continue on with him if this will end up hurting her people.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
When Wessex paused in the snow, Noah hesitated as well. He turned to look at her over his shoulder briefly before turning fully to her. "I asked Frey to help me protect Halo. I asked him to make me a sentinel. A guard of the north." He tilted his head some, face soft but eyes still as glacial as always. "I did not ask them to equip me against the Ascended. I...didn't ask them to equip me against anyone. I want to be a protector of my people, much the same as you. That includes the ascended who call Halo home." Elide. Kiada. It included them.
The Voice was the one that Noah did not trust, but his hesitancy was not against the ascended individuals. He held them close -- Elide had been his friend since they were toddlers. Kiada let him join her guild, and she loved and treated Chulane well. She was Deimos' heart. Noah would stand to protect each of them. Eira drifted down, landing in the snow beside Noah.
dont know where the lights are taking us but something in the night is dangerous
Searching Noah’s face for the truth, she finds a three-quarters answer and the familiar Halovian stoicism. Her eyes dart back and forth, quick and intense, hating that she has to weigh the odds of Halo going for the Old Gods (and therefore against her sisters) and the possibility that the hunter means what he says: that he will protect Elide and Kiada and anyone else who makes their home within its icy walls.
Straining to hear any subject, anything left unsaid, Wessex’s lips tighten together momentarily before she gives her assent with a sharp nod. Maybe she would rue this decision in the future. Maybe not. Neither of them can tell the future. “Okay,” she says and takes a step forward to show that she’s willing to continue on.
For this absurdly dangerous task, for now, she is his. And isn’t it just like a companion to break the tension? As the griffin drifts down, the Wraith’s eyes follow her, a small smile forming as she watches the snow-appropriate companion. “Ah, and who’s this?” she asks, directing the question to both Noah and Eira.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
The hunter nodded simply as Wessex stepped forward. He was grateful she was willing to help, and he was grateful she understood his position. At least, he thought she did. He pegged her the sort that if she did not understand, she would ask. If she did not agree, she would vocalize. Her strength would be needed against his creature. Thank you."
As Eira landed and settled at his side, Noah was not surprised that the Wraith's attention would be drawn to her. She was a striking creature, growing larger and stronger by the day. As the demigod's eyes focused on her, Noah could feel an unease across their bond. Like her soulmate, however, Eira stayed stoic on the outside. "This is Eira." Noah offered a small smile as well, breaking the frost on his face. "I found her egg on the Sea of Glass, abandoned and left to be seal food." He reached down and stroked the top of her owl-like head.
"We should press on." Noah turned to follow the path he had mentally marked out, Eira following him and trilling for the demigoddess to come as well.
dont know where the lights are taking us but something in the night is dangerous
In the future, she might well remember this moment, when he tells her he wants to protect, and that includes the Ascended. When he is proven at least partially a liar - though not for this task. Still, she cannot see the future and without any further ado, Wessex accepts his thanks with a small nod of her head.
“Ah, my Loki was left for dead, too, I think. Either that or she managed to wander very far from home as a hatchling.” Which, given Loki’s spirit, isn’t an impossibility. When Eira doesn’t come any closer, Wessex rises and brushes her bare hands against her clothing, closing the gap at the griffin’s trill so that they make three abreast, where allowed.
“Lead on,” is all she can say, gesturing for the hunter to send them down the merry path towards either victory or failure - or death. For her part, she keeps all her senses trained for something large and heavy - and anything else that might view them as a snack out here.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
With Wessex's hesitation behind them, they moved onward. Noah pressed the trio up the mountain, eyes changing to take form of his feline shift and gaining their keen ability. After a while, Eira lifted herself back to the skies, golden eyes able to take in much more from her vantage point. Noah stayed silent, following the signs he and his companion had scouted and trying to keep himself ready to react.
To say this was the most terrifying act Noah had performed to this point in his life would be too accurate.
Never before had he deliberately sought out such a dangerous creature. Ursur, sure, but even his intentional battles with them had not been until he gained his polar bear shift. when his spirit lifted to give his body the ability to match the predators, he was able to face them without fear. Now, some form of trepidation and caution clung to the back of his neck.
As time went on and their climbed further, it grew grey and hazy and the snowflakes grew fatter and heavier, clinging to them with wet, thick relentlessness. Finally, though, a groaning echoed out from a cave before them, and Noah stopped, raising his hand some to signal to Wessex.
dont know where the lights are taking us but something in the night is dangerous
Onward and upward they climb, the cold of the Fangs barely registering on Wessex’s sensors, though she knows it must be getting worse. The terrain is certainly getting harder, and it takes her more than a moment to remember how to best move in wet, heavy snow like this. She follows the hunter’s lead and remains silent, eyes peeled. The relentless grey is a bit disheartening and every now and then she thinks she sees something moving in the haze - but as nothing comes towards them, Wessex pushes the phantoms out of her head.
At least, until she’s led to a cave and a sound rumbles out of it. Her eyes narrow as she draws up at Noah’s shoulder, eyes remaining on the mouth of danger while she whispers in his ear. “What’s the plan?”
Because no way in Hell is she rushing into this without some sort of plan of attack. That’s how you get killed. And their skin is so tough, she’s staring to wonder how they’ll be able to kill it without magic.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
Noah had had a vague plan coming in to this endeavor - but only after Wessex joined him after her had begun did he really let his mind solidify into what he wanted to accomplish. "I need its hide...so we cannot scathe it too much." He noted, making sure that information was up front. If they killed it but Noah was not able to claim his prize for Frey, then it was all for not -- not even pride.
"There are many creatures in these mountains I can call on for help," As he detailed his plan he did not look back towards the demigoddess, knowing that if he took his eyes off the entrance to the cave where the groaning came from the danger level only increased, "Frost Giants don't hesitate to attack anything, and often compete with ursur for food. A battle between them would surely weaken and distract enough for us to come in."
Noah did not feel any hesitation to tell the woman of his abilities -- he knew he was not the most powerful attuned she knew, or that had ever lived in Halo or the Grounds. Surely she had an understanding of the different abilities of his race. He did, however, keep Eira's poison to himself.
Should Wessex agree with his plan, Noah would close his eyes momentarily and draw on his power to bring a ursur grunting and growling before the mouth of the cave -- bait to draw out the giant.
dont know where the lights are taking us but something in the night is dangerous
Making a face in response to not scathing it, Wessex hmmms faintly in the back of her throat. How then to attack?
But of course - Ursurs. She nods along, knowing well the ability Attuned have. Loren had been quite adept at compelling creatures for aid. Same with other hybrids - and Sunjata, of course. The Ursurs were likely to destroy the Giant’s hide, she thinks, but that’s not entirely her concern. If Noah has weighed the option and found it best, the Wraith can accept it.
“If you want a kill-shot, I can teleport up to its back - or maybe the lip of the cave - and try to attack its eyes,” she offers. “I’d need a distraction to get it to turn towards me,” she continues, “But something through the eyes might be easiest.” A tricky shot, to be sure, she thinks, but also realizes that the eyes might be its most vulnerable, softest point of entry.
Eira might be able to get its attention, but the companion isn't hers to volunteer, so she remains quiet and still as a statue while Noah calls forth an Ursur.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
The ursur wasn't really meant to bring devastation and destruction towards the ice giant, merely to draw it out and distract it enough with a target. The distraction would, in his attempt, claim its focus enough for the pair to be able to bring an end to it without having to dodge its attacks.
The ursur rumbled and came in as commanded. Noah waited and listened, his muscles itching and aching to act as the snow billowed around them. Eira landed above the mouth of the cave, crouching down and nearly disappearing in the snow. Noah shifted his eyes to borrow that of his lynx shift, and caught sight of the giant as it strode from the mouth of the cave. It growled out a warning, honed in on the ursur.
Noah nodded at Wessex's thought and pulled his bow from his back, knocking an arrow without hesitating. He had struck an ursur through the eye before, with Deimos, bringing it crashing to the ground in death. Perhaps he could again?
dont know where the lights are taking us but something in the night is dangerous
Wessex is still unclear at what the plan is, with the singular nod from Noah drifting in uncertainty as he draws his bow. Is he aiming for the Ursur or the Giant? Was her offer to kill it through the eyes unclear? Was he going to try and do it himself?
It’s Noah’s quest. But her own first hand experience of Frost Giants leaves her doubtful.
The griffin flies up to the lip of the cave and settles herself in, nearly invisible, and Wessex shrugs to herself before shedding her dark cloak and tossing her bow and quiver over her shoulder. Guess they were gonna play it by ear then, and up top is safer than down below. Wessex teleports up to join the companion and crouches down, settling herself into the snow as close enough to the edge as she feels is safe. Bow and eyes and claws are at the ready.
