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!
07-11-2021, 06:01 AM (This post was last modified: 07-17-2021, 02:55 PM by Cordelia.)
Cordelia
With careful steps, Cordelia picked herself through the unforgiving landscape, avoiding small swells of lava that bubble up from beneath the craggy surface of the earth. Her nose wrinkled at the slightly sulfuric smell that filled the air, not recognizing the smell from her previous treks over here, umber eyes flicking from place to place in search of the stench. That's when she saw a one of the many Vampire Gourds that had met a rather unfortunate fate. The thing half stuck in a pool of lava, slowly burning and sizzling as its guts spilled into the pool, flames slowly licking up its side.
There really wasn't any stop to them, was there? With a shake of her head, Cordelia stepped forward, using the tip of her boot to shove it the rest of the way into the lava to finally be engulfed. If there was one, there were surely others bumbling about and it was only a matter of time before they made themselves known with their hissing and waving vines.
Present all your pretty feelings May they comfort you tonight
A trail of dead vampire gourds followed the hunter as he moved towards the Climb. He had ventured from the Citadel, slaughtering the swarm of invading fauna--flora?--on his way. He thought they might stop eventually, that his path would end and he would return back to the Citadel. However, since he continued to encounter vampire gourds, he continued onward as their aggressor.
He was not sure how long he traveled and had lost count of his death toll. When he finally looked up from his focused point on the gourds, he noticed a vaguely familiar figure kicking a gourd into the fire. "Can't stop these damned this. They just keep coming." Noah said, moving carefully to the side of the woman. As he came closer, her thick brown hair and face solidified his suspicions. He did know her, as least as much as he knew all of the hunters in Halo.
Life isn't always what you think it'd be Turn your head for one second and the tables turn
07-14-2021, 02:04 AM (This post was last modified: 07-14-2021, 02:05 AM by Cordelia.)
Cordelia
Her eyes remained unfocused for a moment, merely watching the flames flicker as they consumed the fallen gourd, almost hypnotized by the way they danced. It wasn't until a voice sounded, causing her to spin quickly, bow raised in preparation to shoot. Her dark hair fell across her shoulders, loose from the braid she typically kept it in, brown eyes wide as she looked towards the man. At first, he was unfamiliar, but a moment later it hit her and her bow lowered. Cordelia released a breath, offering Noah a sheepish smile, a faint flush rising onto her cheeks. "It's like they pop up from holes in the ground." She offered, her entire form relaxing now that she knew there wasn't any pressing danger, at least not from him.
"You're Noah, right? Noah Olson?" Cordelia questioned, brows knitting together as she tried the name on her tongue, deciding that she liked the sound of it. She knew about him, of course. From Aino. They were friends from childhood. Not that he really knew Cordelia. Not officially and definitely not at friends.
Present all your pretty feelings May they comfort you tonight
It was not a surprise to him that she was not sure on his name. In truth, though he knew who she was, he knew her father more than he knew her. "Yeah. Cordelia?" He questioned, though he didn't have to. The Warden was keen to remember details, and he knew her father well. Her father had known his father, and in the shadow of death stood Noah to continue the relationship. He could not count anymore the expeditions her father had been an accompanying member on with Noah.
"I am surprised they can even show up here. It's just as harsh as Halo, but...opposite." He noted, watching gourds jump and bump away in the distance. "They're rather annoying nuisances. I came up here to see if i could eradicate a bunch and try and keep them from leaking into the tundra."
Life isn't always what you think it'd be Turn your head for one second and the tables turn
07-20-2021, 03:14 PM (This post was last modified: 07-20-2021, 03:14 PM by Cordelia.)
Cordelia
Truthfully, she knew way more about Noah then she would ever dare to let on. Having spent much of her youth trailing after Aino and her father, she wasn't a stranger to the man, though she often found herself hiding away whenever he came around. Always too shy to say anything when she was younger. Especially when it became clear that her Aunt Irma thought that Noah could be a good match for Aino. Her cousin stopped spending so much time around him then. Of course, her father still worked closely with Noah's and when his father passed, closely with him too. By that point, Cordelia had kept enough distance from him it seemed a bit ridiculous to actually try striking up a conversation, too unsure of his thoughts on her to risk it.
Her cheeks flushed a faint pink and she nodded, "That's right. Surprised you even know my name." She huffed softly, ducking her head as she hopped over the small pool of lava, landing easily on the other side. The movement brought her closer and for a moment she's unsure of how to hold herself. Awkwardly she stumbled, clasping her hands in front of her, rocking on the balls of her feet lightly. This was not the calm, cool, and collected Cordelia. Nope. Apparently she had fucked right off. "I mean, I guess it isn't that surprising... You are the Warden, after all. I just, uhm, I didn't think you really knew me." What were they talking about again? Oh, right. Pumpkins.
"They are pretty annoying. I could help, if you wanted. I'm sure you're plenty capable of doing it yourself, but I like to think I'm not too shabby with a bow." She was rambling. A lot. Cordelia felt her cheeks grow hotter and she pulled her bow over her head to give herself something to do. Grip almost white knuckled as she grasped tightly to the leather wrapped middle, offering him a sweet, albeit sheepish smile.
Present all your pretty feelings May they comfort you tonight
Noah noticed her blush, but paid no mind to it. After all, this place was the opposite of what they knew. While they knew trembling ice, this place was bursting fire. The flush of her cheeks could be because of that, and Noah was not going to place anything he did not know for certain on this woman. He chuckled at her comment. He was the Warden, that was true, but he knew more of her as a hunter than he did as warden. His knowledge of the people and his shoulder to shoulder work with them, keeping them alive and training them and nurturing them all happened before he took the seat of power. Unlike Morgan, he had always known his people. "That would be great. Two hunters against the gourds. What a match." He chuckled some before shifting down, feline coat wrapping over him. He pounced on the gourds before him as they bumbled towards him, teeth and claws slicing and severing.
Life isn't always what you think it'd be Turn your head for one second and the tables turn
She had half expected him to use his bow, but the hunter did something else entirely. It wasn't that Cordelia didn't know that he was an Attuned. She did know that, but with him suddenly shifting before her it came screaming to the forefront of her mind. The bond they all shared that had been ignored up until now suddenly became all too obvious. Trying to be quick about it, she shut away all emotion except the curiosity and excitement at seeing another Attune shift so easily. It seemed like second nature to let her own out.
With grace, Cordelia melted away into her Luxere shift, snowy white coat standing out starkly against the dark terrain they found themselves in. Her antlers, while smaller than those of her male counterparts, were nothing to scoff at. Still a bit red and bloody, they stood out in sharp comparison from the white of her fur. Long legs loped forward gently and she bent her head to punt a gourd in his direction in a makeshift game. Two attuned hunters at that. Something like a laugh could be heard in the words as they flitted along the bond towards him.
As the lynx brings end to two smaller gourds, glacier eyes watch as the woman shifts as easily as he did. Feline ears flicked toward her, the interest clear and plain on his unguarded features. I didn't know that was your shift. He nearly purred out across the bond, impressed with the sleek, opulent body she now gorged the gourds with. There was something inside of him that settled as he looked upon her now. A knowing, an understanding. Another hunter standing before him in the skin that they so often hunted to feed their own bellies and the bellies of their families. She was just like him.
Nodding his head, and shaking himself from his own mind, the lynx lurched forward again and followed the luxere. As she punted gourds his way he pounced on them -- easily crushing small ones beneath his weight while having to claw at larger ones that she sent his way.
Life isn't always what you think it'd be Turn your head for one second and the tables turn
The interest wasn't lost on her. His feline eyes tracked her movements as she shifted, ears flicking towards her and she could feel the way his interest piqued. The nearly purred response trailed along the bond and her ears flicked forward, a thrill of delight running through her as she trotted a few steps towards him. Do you like it? The question is almost shy, curiosity tinting her words as they reach him across the bond, a part of her nervous as to what he might say. It didn't truly matter if he did or didn't, but she wanted him to. A small part of her craved the approval. There were plenty of hunters in Halo, but only one Noah. Despite her skill and ability, there were still plenty who didn't think her capable, but she was just as capable as the rest of them. Just as determined.
Cordelia continued to send the gourds his way. A few smaller ones he was able to dispatch easily and a few she took care of herself. With cloven hooves and strong legs, she squashed plenty underfoot, using her antlers to sling others towards pits of lava.
No verbal reply necessary, as Cordelia asks of his happiness in her shift. He lets the emotion slip over the bond. He did like it -- he, for the first time, felt like he was not standing alone. All other attuned hunters that worked with him only wore the skin of predators. To sit in a prey shift and hunt, to lay down one's nature and to work on the greater good for the betterment of the people -- it was something that, until this moment, Noah carried as a cross all his own.
As the pair continued to demolish and crush the gourds, Noah let his eyes scan over the fiery terrain. He was careful where he pounced and stepped. Despite that, the sheer heat and humidity of where they were would surely take victory over him. He knew he could not stay in this form for long.
Life isn't always what you think it'd be Turn your head for one second and the tables turn
Cordelia expected that he might like it, but the absolute satisfaction that runs along the bond to her is something else entirely. She can't help preening a bit at the silent praise, not thinking much of the fact that her first and only shift was that of a prey animal because it had simply felt right. Her father taught her to move through their snowy landscape as if she was a part of it. To not only be a huntress capable of filling the bellies of their people and their families, but to truly understand the balance of their world. What it meant to be both. Never take more than you need, give back what you didn't have use for, never letting things go to waist. This was ingrained in her more than anything else. To know that Noah shared this same point of view endeared him to her more than she even realized herself. They were the same.
Together, with teeth and claws and antlers and hooves, they took out gourd after gourd. Each one as satisfying as the last. Neither of them would be able to stay like this for long, both of them better suited for the snowy landscape they called home, but she would push through until he could no longer bear it himself. Only then would she shift back.
The hunter, ever vigilant, continued to let his eyes scan across the terrain. Halo was a dangerous place, the ice unforgiving. The Climb was much the same -- Halo's sister. Though she was quicker with her attacks, with the way the lava bubbled and boiled. One pool that Cordelia was drawing close to was doing just that -- bubbling and boiling. Noah hissed, trying to catch her attention. WATCH OU-- Noah warned over the bond, sharp and loud as a rather large magma bubble burst, sending fragments of fire and lava into the air toward them.
Noah stopped and lurched to the left, a small spray of magma singing hairs and skin as they landed on him. No deep damage was done, but it smarted. The hunter shifted instinctually, his arm pulling in towards his chest as he scrambled back from the bubbling, popping pool. He leaned against a large, black boulder, inspecting the wound. Are you okay? He asked, looking up and away from the small set of blisters that formed on his hand.
Life isn't always what you think it'd be Turn your head for one second and the tables turn
The Attuned trotted this way and that, punting gourds and occasionally glancing Noah's way, trying her best to keep her emotions in check. She was doing fairly well until Noah suddenly hissed out a warning, shouting through her mind with such ferocity that she started, skittering to the side. It wasn't fast enough. The bubble burst and she was too close. Lava landed on her shoulder and leg, singing through the fur and into her skin, pain spiking sharply through her nerves. Cordelia shifted, stumbling backwards as she struggled with her shirt, attempting to get the burning fabric off of her skin, whimpering as tears sprung to her eyes.
"M'arm." She gasped, moving towards him on her knees before collapsing beside him, back braced against the boulder he was leaning against. It wasn't her dominant arm. That was a small mercy. "Caught it pretty bad." Cordelia hissed through clenched teeth, trying to turn her arm this way and that, but she couldn't move it without a searing pain shooting through her arm and shoulder. The skin angry and blistering, the burns much bigger than his own, "Well that certainly puts a damper on things.." And they had been having such a lovely time.
Present all your pretty feelings May they comfort you tonight
Noah frowned as she came over to him. He put his arms out to help steady her, to keep her from falling into any other magma puddles. For now, it seemed, they were safe from any onslaught of vampire gourds. Perhaps they had done enough to make the creatures flee momentarily. "It doesn't look good." Noah agreed, looking the burn wound over. His own arm throbbed, but it was a dull enough pain that Noah was able to push it aside. Superficial, truly. Not like what she endured.
"I can carry you back to Halo, so you don't have to worry about walking." Noah lifted glacier eyes to watch her reaction. He knew many hunters to be proud, and to refuse help, and though the Warden could say with confidence her father would accept his hand, he was not sure she would.
Life isn't always what you think it'd be Turn your head for one second and the tables turn
