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!
Sah and Lilly arrived at the edge of the Whitebrim silently. Both the Abandoned and wolf were nervous. The idea of cannibals invoked a need for quiet awareness in them both as they eyed their surroundings cautiously. When Noah had asked Sah to join him in hunting an Ursur, he'd been unsure. When he'd hunted with Deimos. he's requested that they avoid the creatures. And yet, here he was now actively seeking them out. It was a bit ironic. But Noah had helped Sah out before and had never asked for anything in return, and so the Outlander had felt compelled to agree.
Standing at the edge, the pair waited for Noah to arrive. Sah had already drawn his sword, ready to deal with anything that they came across. Feeling the nervous energy and the anticipation of a hunt, Lilly had fluffed up her fur in an attempt to look more intimating. It was adorable and had Sah chuckling under his breath.
every time i think i've finally made it, i learn i'm farther away than i have ever been before
Noah arrived shortly after Sah, though he came from the opposite direction. Eira circled high above in the skies, nearly undetectable. She sent images of the field of snow, of the buildings, of the sky and the sun all to Noah. when they were out on the tundra, his mind was constantly filled with hers. It was an experience he only had inklings about from the depths of the attuned bond, but this soul bond he shared with her he would never change.
She sent images that the village of Whitebrim was clear, and so Noah moved without trepidation.
"Sah!" Noah lifted his hand in greeting, a smile bursting and spreading over his bearded face. "How have you been?" It had been a while since Noah had seen the once-wolf, but as he looked upon him now he knew things had changed for him. "and who's this?" He bent to scratch the wolfling on her head, should she allow it.
Sah felt a matching smile stretch across his face at Noah's enthusiastic greeting. "Hey Noah. Long time no see." He gave a wave as well. Lily bounded forward to greet the stranger curiously, sensing that this was a friend. The pup eagerly accepted the head scratches, tail wagging as she gave a small yip. Sah watched with a fond smile on his face as he introduced his little friend. "This is Lilly, my companion. We met a few weeks back. She's around 3 months old."
As Lilly happily got acquainted with Noah, Sah eyed the surrounding landscape. "What are we looking to hunt today? You mentioned Ursurs right? I'll admit the idea is a bit daunting." Sah was worried about Lilly's safety more so then his own.
every time i think i've finally made it, i learn i'm farther away than i have ever been before
Noah was at ease, even as they stood on the edge of Whitebrim. As far as he knew, no one of any real danger was currently residing here. As it were, the hunter had more confidence in him knowing that he could summon the power of a bear at any second. "Good to meet you, Lilly." the hunter smiled, scratching the wolf's ear before straightening up again to look at Sah.
"Ursur." Noah nodded, turning some and gesturing for Sah to follow him. Noah moved out past the buildings they stood before, keeping to the edge of the outpost--just to be certain of an escape or attack route, should one be needed. "Eira saw one rummaging through some of these buildings when she was out hunting a few days ago. The tracks around as well as some other evidence says that it's headed away from Whitebrim. We should be able to stalk it fairly easily." for as formidable as the creatures were, they were lumberers across the tundra. They had very little reason to move with haste.
Lilly gave a small wag of her tail at the affection before returning to Sah's side. Both wolf and Abandoned relaxed somewhat at how calm Noah was. The older hunter was clearly more experienced with the area, and if he felt at ease, then they did too. When prompted, Sah followed Noah with a nod, keeping his eyes on their surroundings as they walked.
"I've never gone after a ursur before. Is there anything that I should keep in mind? Any common weak-points on them and such?" Sah asked quietly as they navigated the terrain. Lilly walked beside him, her ears swiveling and nose twitching as she checked out the area with open curiosity.
every time i think i've finally made it, i learn i'm farther away than i have ever been before
"You should be wary of everything about them. They don't care what you are or who you are or what powers you have. They will try to eat you." Noah said this over his shoulder as he pressed forward, not looking back to see Sah's reaction to his words. While Noah did not know the details of this man's past, of the creature he used to be, there was something in him that Noah took as confidence. Sah had never been the creature being hunted before.
"They're huge. They are covered in thick wool, but are bear like. Not unlike my polar bear shift, but slightly larger. They have tusks...as far as general weaknesses go I would say there aren't that many. These are the top predators on the tundra." Again, he merely transmitted the information as the pair of hunters kept moving. "Deimos and I managed to take two out a few seasons ago. My bear shift was an advantage I had not had before." He hadn't felt afraid of them when he charged.
Sah hummed in acknowledgement. Noah was right on the money in his assumption. Sah's kind were apex predators. And although there had been some creatures capable of eating them, encounters were rare. Learning to accept his now far lower status on the food chain had been a steep learning curve for the Outlander. One he still struggles with at times.
As Noah led them, Sah absorbed the incoming information. "Alright then. Should we focus our strategy around your shift then? I have lightning and telekinesis as you know, and I've gotten far better with a sword. How can I contribute?" Sah was determined to pull his weight on this hunt, even if he power level left him at firm disadvantage. Lilly would likely stay back and observe, learning that way until she was big enough to physically contribute.
every time i think i've finally made it, i learn i'm farther away than i have ever been before
"I don't think that would be a bad idea. Your telekinesis might come in handy too by keeping a creature still. Is it powerful?" Noah did not know much about abandoned magic on a personal level, but what he had seen of other mages he knew that wielding magic could be quite the formidable weapon.
The hunter continued to press on towards where they had seen the evidence of the ursur most strongly. "I can also call in some bait." He noted, of his most recent findings. Noah was getting stronger and stronger every day, more in tune with Caido. He knew this had to do with the fact that he was pressing further and deeper into his faith in Frey. He was simply confident of it.
As they continued to move, the evidence became clearer: they were on a path following the ursur that had ransacked parts of Snowcloak.
Sah grimaced. "Hardly. I've been training with it constantly but my telekinesis is still rather weak. I can only handle small objects thus far. My lightning has gotten stronger so I should at least be able to do some damage with that." Powerful telekinesis would certainly be useful when dealing with an ursur. One day he'd get to that level, hopefully.
The idea of bait had Sah nodding. "That's a good plan. It'll allow us to set an ambush and gain the advantage." Lilly started walking closer to the two hunters as the damage became apparent. Sensing that a more dangerous predator was close by, she refused to wander too far. Eventually the footprints in the snow grew fresh. "We're close." Sah whispered, unsure of just how far off the ursur was.
every time i think i've finally made it, i learn i'm farther away than i have ever been before
Noah nodded at Sah's response. While they may not be able to harness his abilities to keep the animal in place, there was still potential for damage given his lightning. The hunter's stance changed as they continued forward. He crouched lower, his steps becoming more intentional and very obviously deliberate. He gestured for Sah to follow in the same manner, to stay low and quiet. His ears shifted, and from blond hair furry tufts peaked out. with his enhanced feline hearing, the huffs and groans and growls of the ursur they were trailing became clearer, though still distant.
Above them, Eira soared silently. Her golden eyes scanned for the sign of the beasts. Finally, Noah's mind filled with the image she saw: an ursur digging and tearing at a leather bag. Noah paused, lifting his palm to tell Sah to stop. "It's just over that berm." He whispered, voice only able to be caught should Sah be paying utmost attention.
Sah tried not to stare when Noah partially shifted. He'd known that some Attuned could do that, but he'd never seen it first hand. Lilly had no such reservations and gave the other hunter a look of pure bafflement. Continuing forward until Noah motioned for them to freeze, Sah caught the man's words.
Giving a subtle nod, the Abandoned turned his attention to the berm. "What's our approach?" He whispered back just as quietly. He'd never hunted an ursur before and figured it'd be best to let Noah's experience take point. With how dangerous the creatures could be, it made sense to air on the side of caution. Lilly was crouched beside her bonded, ears forward and turning, locked onto the ursur as well.
every time i think i've finally made it, i learn i'm farther away than i have ever been before
The hunter lowered his body down to crouch and crawl, his belly just an inch or so above the snow. He crawled and kept low as to sneak up on the distracted ursur just enough for him to watch. Letting out a breath, he closed his eyes briefly. Invisible callings rang out across the fold of Whitebrim and the surrounding tundra.
After a few moments of the only sound surrounding them being the ursur digging and snuffling through the bag, he heard them. The reindeer he compelled, a limp carrying it towards the ursur. The massive carnivore lifted its head, a snarl rolling past its tusks. "Wait..." Noah whispered to Sah as the tensions around them rose. He wanted the ursur to hone in on the reindeer before they pounced.
Stepping away from the bag, the ursur turned and lumbered towards the reindeer deliberately -- Noah knew it would not feel the need to run with the limp the reindeer clearly walked with.
Sah eyed Noah and then the abnormally behaving reindeer with confusion. But then it clicked, this had to be compulsion. The Outlander had heard of the Attuned's ability, but had never seen it for himself. It was bizare to see in action but he couldn't deny its usefulness. The ursur was sure to lock onto the easy meal. A perfect distraction for the hunters to take advantage of.
Sah nodded at Noah. "Alright. Give the word when it's time." He whispered back, sword silently drawn and ready. The Abandoned was laying in the snow as well, as still as he could possibly be. But sword in hand, Sah was ready for whenever Noah deemed it time. He assumed that when the ursur was thoroughly distracted, they'd be ambushing from behind. At least, that's what seemed like the most likely strategy, but perhaps Noah had another in mind?
every time i think i've finally made it, i learn i'm farther away than i have ever been before
The ursur was focused in on the deer, but because of the limp it walked with the ursur closed the distance in its own time. It grunted and groaned as it approached the injured reindeer. Noah narrowed his gaze as it lumbered, until finally he nodded firmly and quickly -- a signal t the once wolf they were to begin.
Breaking his compulsion on the reindeer, Noah burst forth from the mound of snow as a polar bear -- his height and mass that just under the ursur he pursued. Noah let himself run full force at the tusked creature. When he felt he was close enough, he lurched forward with his shoulder pushed forward, intending to knock the ursur off balance by hitting it in its hip.
Eira swooped down from the sky, claws aimed for the back of the ursur's neck. She attempted to scratch down as close to its head as she could get, observing that the thick, woolen fur was not as matted there.
