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!
The room Amalia is given for her meeting is large - cavernous, even - flanked by towering pillars and stained glass motifs depicting wars and scenes from a history come back to haunt them all. Normally musty and reeking of incense, today the smells of stone and age are masked by herbs and spices. As promised, food lines a far wall, set on a table beneath an image of the twins of Rae. Curried pumpkin koftas, various flat breads, pickled vegetables, yogurt sauce, chai, a dessert of ginger cake-
To anyone who knows her well it will be quickly obvious that Amalia is stressed.
The Angel herself sits at the round table that serves as centerpiece of the room, her spot marked by a mug of tea and a collection of books and papers and hastily scrawled notes. Her halo is scarcely visible in the well-lit room, and her braided hair is flush with small gold flowers. She is focused, writing down some last minute notes, but when the first of her colleagues arrives she is quick to rise in greeting, stepping toward them with a grateful smile and an invitation to sit and eat.
she's just like the weather can't hold her together
It was Seren's freckled face that peeked in from a crack in the door first. Taking in the mostly empty room, her gaze landed on Amalia with a timid little smile. The girl slipped inside on quiet feet and came over to return the greetings.
Trailed by the everpresent aura of starfilled night, the girl looked... not exactly out of place in the setting of the room, but not very comfortable either. It was a bit too... on the nose for her tastes, this room. The scenery in the stained glass windows, the stone columns and strictness of it all had so very little to do with stargazing in the dew-damp grass and strolling barefoot along midnight beaches.
"Hello, Amalia. Am I early? Thank you for the invitation." She had been a little surprised to receive one, but very grateful to be acknowledged and included.
Making a round past the table of treats, Seren seated herself in a chair next to the other woman and cradled her hands around a warm mug of tea. The scent of herbs and spices coiling up with the steam helped her feel less small in this large room. She kept looking towards the door, waiting for her fathers to show up.
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
✰ 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.
Ronin needs no invitation to show up and eat, and so Seren will be pleased to see him appear soon enough in the doorway, offering a bright smile between his daughter and Amalia. "And I thought I was late," he says breezily, already moving to grab a plate and fill it with various treats. Actually it's two plates - one for savouries, one for cake - as well as a mug of chai. His projection helps to carry it all to the table, where Ronin flops down to sit.
"They say an army marches on its stomach," he says around a kofta. "Not sure how you'd plan to starve an army of Ascended, though. That's the worst part about it all, I think. Imagine never being able to properly taste Amalia's baking again?" Sighing dramatically, he slouches in his seat and dips the rest of the kofta in the yogurt sauce.
Walk me home in the dead of night, 'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind
Stiffly, Remi enters just a few moments after Ronin does. The alchemist's smile is nowhere to be seen, replaced instead by lips pressed into a thin line. With a nod to Seren and Amalia, Remi scans the room for just a moment before deciding he isn't hungry. Unlike his husband, Remi's stomach isn't endless, so this isn't as much of a warning sign as it might be had it been the Huntsman.
Taking a seat near Ronin, the Lullaby offers his husband a quietly grumpy look. Amalia's call of them sounds very much like a Stormbreak problem—and therefore an Order one—rather than a meeting of team demigod. But out of respect for the baker, he of course is here just like the others.
Not that he pretends to be pleased about it, though.
So say you'll stay with me tonight. 'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
The call for a meeting of Demi Gods was too tempting to pass up; the chance to see who else had been chosen and risen over the years since she had come into being through Frey. They were all basically children of less than 50, but Mildew went with a mind to respect them as much as she could. Entering the hall, dirty and dishevelled yet wildly savage and beautiful as always, she padded barefoot into the room and waved.
"Hello Darlings. Oh, what wonderful food." Wasting no time at all, Mildew quickly went to grab whatever caught her fancy, her long life having taught her that embarrassment did nothing but make you late to the buffet.
Babies had a way of arriving at the most inconvenient of times. Alas, that had not changed by becoming a demigoddess.
The Nightingale hurried in, blonde waves tied high upon her head, securing her honeysuckle crown to her person. Dark circles under honeyed eyes and the midwife bag in her hand would make clear the reason for her tardiness - at least to those who knew her profession. "Sorry I'm late." she said breathlessly to Amalia. Phoebe recognized most gathered - one face was completely new. Figuring she would find out who the barefoot woman was soon enough, she found a seat next to a clearly grumpy Remi.
They arrive, and Amalia is both relieved and terrified as her friends and... peers? Compatriots? file into the room. Seren is first, the young daughter of Safrin a beacon of starlight (quite literally), causing Amalia to catch her breath with surprise at just how much she resembles her mother. She greets the girl warmly, smiling as she takes a seat, then turns to Ronin and a very grumpy Remi, not particularly surprised though also not sure what has gotten the Lullaby upset today. Nothing food won't mend, she hopes, casually sliding a plate of cookies in front of her friend just in case.
Then there's Mildew, who Amalia has only met once before, and Phoebe, who she hasn't seen in what feels like months. And that is it: the entirety of the chosen (except Delphia) gathered in one place, representing the pantheon of Old Gods in an array that is both exhilarating and overwhelming. Amalia is the last to take her seat, after gathering a small plate of food she won't eat. And even though the table is round she feels as though she's at the head of it: a daunting prospect that dries her mouth, even as she clears her throat, trying to find a way to break the awkward silence.
"So, ah... thanks for coming." Her voice sounds squeaky in her ears, and she clears her throat again. "I thought it was important we all have the opportunity to talk. Especially with... well, y'know. War." It's a heavy word, and it falls like lead from her lips, tasting just as bad. None of them really want a war.
But of course, it isn't for them to decide.
Dark eyes flicker between each of the faces gathered here: her allies, her family, the only other ones who understand what it is to carry the weight she holds. It makes her feel a little lighter, knowing she isn't alone. "This has been coming for a long time, and I know- gods, I wish it wasn't." A weak laugh leaves her, dark and tired; she shakes her golden head. "But with everything happening, I think it's important that we have... well, that we're a team. Outside the Order, outside everything else - because at the end of the day we're the closest to the Gods. And it's our responsibility to protect Their world."
She's hitting her stride, her voice stronger, the waver almost gone. "There's a lot to be done. These relics, wherever and wherever they are - they have to be found before they fall into the Voice's hands. She already has a piece of the Core - the metal we pulled from Tanau, which unleashed the infection, and which I believe played a role in allowing her to bring souls back from Mort's realm. With tools of the Old God's champions who knows how strong she'll be come. I've been researching them, but there's precious little information. If anyone does have more knowledge, please, let's share it. We're equals in this. And we need to work together if we're going to stay ahead.
"Obviously we will all have different roles in the seasons to come, but that doesn't mean we can't work together. We're a family at the end of the day- and I want us to be one. I... I hope you all feel the same."
By the time she stops speaking her eyes are bright with righteousness and her hair is flush with golden flowers. Amalia has taken on more of an Angelic appearance in this moment than in any before, and she can only believe that her brethren, her allies, her family, feel the same.
SORRY FOR THE WAIT. No posting order.
she's just like the weather can't hold her together
The room filled up as more and more people arrived. Ronin and Remi's arrival had the starchild perk up, and she offered both men a warm smile in welcome, ignoring the Lullaby's surly scowl. Phoebe was greeted similarly when she came bustling in at the last minute... but her gaze kept trailing on the wild looking woman whose name she did not yet know. That she was here obviously meant she was a demigod too, though Seren found it slightly difficult to tell whether her alignment might be more towards Ludo or Frey.
Very curious.
When Amalia spoke up, she settled back into her chair and listened to the speech. That the Relics might be brought up was a given, though she had perhaps hoped that the Archangel had some actual facts to share, since the meeting had been called by her.
"I don't know if this is related to the Relics, but Mother gave father and I a clue that something of interest might be buried beneath the Sea of Glass," Seren shared, with a quick smile flashed at Ronin. "We've been planning to find out what it might be... hopefully before the seasons change again." And before any more turmoil could render Halo more unsafe than usual. "She hinted about forgotten knowledge coming back, but would not tell me any details."
Curling her fingers around the mug of tea, the young woman looked around to the others, curious to hear what they might know, or wonder about.
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
✰ 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.
Mildew did listen to Amalia, baby though she was, as she ate whatever snacks she'd pulled into a little pile before her. She knew very little of the Order and even less of the Voice, really, but she knew that they all liked their talk of war. Whenever Amalia's eyes landed on her she tried to look encouraging, though really she thought the talk was a little empty. What was the meaning of the word family, when none of them had had any time to bond as such?
Once Amalia had done and Seren had spoken, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and shrugged. "I know nothing of these relics. If any of them turn out to be in the Wilds though, I will of course help to find it, dears."
And if they were to be a family...she turned to Phoebe. "I'm Mildew, darling. Swamp Witch by profession, but I've been helping Frey for a very long time." And to Seren, the Safrin-child. "I hope we can all be...friends."
Walk me home in the dead of night, 'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind
As Amalia's speech becomes more embolden and inspired, the alchemist averts his gaze. Picking at a spot on the table with his thumbnail, he worries away at a nail until it comes loose. Glancing around to see if anyone had noticed—Ronin likely would have—Remi frowns as he bites the inside of his cheek, forcing the nail back into place.
On the topic of relics and war, he has nothing useful to contribute. On the topic of family, he certainly was planning on keeping his thoughts to himself. On the whole, given how important all of this seemed to Amalia, Remi thought keeping quiet was probably in everyone's best interests.
So say you'll stay with me tonight. 'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Ronin has demolished his snacks, taking time to smile at the rest of the 'family' as they come shuffling in, and he nabs one of the cookies that have been placed in front of Remi, along with another which he offers out to Seren. "That's right," he says of the Sea of Glass. "Seren and I are planning to go out and investigate further. It sounds kind of relic-y, so if there's more to it, I'll let you all know."
The arm not occupied with cookie has slipped aorund Remi's waist; Ronin is as cheerful as his husband is surly, and he smiles brightly across the table to Mildew. "You reckon you might have time to read a fortune or two before the meeting is over? Maybe you'll be able to help point us in the direction of some relics."
Phoebe's expression sobered as Amalia began and others piped up their support or agreement. As the youngest demigoddess amongst the group she wasn't sure how much she could help. Finding the relics sounded dangerous, and though she could heal, doing so in the middle of a battle given the side effects seemed unwise. "I have been given a very specific task from Frey." she said softly. "But I will do what I can to help, if there is a used for me." she offered. It was the best she could do. Having such little time to get her garden of children arranged would take much of her time she thought.
Honeyed gaze turned to the woman she didn't know, eyes widening as she mentioned her alignment. But then she smiled. Another helper of Frey? How exciting! "My name is Phoebe. I'm a midwife and former brothel madame. I came to know and help Frey within the Hollowed Grounds." she said.
Well. Not the most robust response, but Amalia values it nonetheless, especially Ronin and Seren for their enthusiasm at getting to the task. She nods at the pair, biting on her lip thoughtfully as they explain their plan. "The first time I went to the sea of glass I sensed a... a presence, under the ice." The memory of that vast mind makes her shiver, though not unpleasantly. "I'd be glad to come with you, if you want," she adds, already itching for something to do.
Phoebe's addition is curious: "What task?" Amalia wonders, keen to know of the others and what roles they have been given to play. But the Nightengale and Mildew are bonding, and far be it from Amalia to interrupt.
Turning to the Talisen family, the Angel rubs her neck. "I've been thinking about going back to Safrin's library to see what I can learn, but..." She grimaces, knowing she doesn't need to tell Remi and Ronin why that plan may be flawed. "I thought - if I can fly there undetected, then Remi, you could dream your way to me? Assuming you'd be willing to come."
she's just like the weather can't hold her together
Mildew's hope of getting along was met with a bright smile from Seren. "I hope so too," she replied, seeing nothing that would prevent it. It took much to earn the dislike of the starchild.
Turning back to Amalia when the woman offered to come along, Seren tapped her fingers thoughtfully against her mug. "On my part I have no objections," she replied. "I have asked Deimos and Aurelia to come along, for their abilities with fire and ice magic - or we won't be able to get through the ice - but I don't know..." She turned to Ronin with a questioning look. "How many people do you think we can bring without drawing attention? It's not like we have permission from Morgan to do this."
Curious about what Phoebe was up to as well, her interest was piqued all the more when her mother's name was mentioned. And a library! "Where is it located?" she asked, glancing between Amalia and Remi. "If it's somewhere I have been before, I have portals that can transport people. I could help, if you want."
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
✰ 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.
