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!
Quite exactly how the children had come to be spending an afternoon at her hut finding things for a stew Mildew was unsure, but it had started with her meeting them both out at the border of Stormbreak, clearly bored and looking for something to do. She knew the parents of...well, at least one of them, so hopefully they wouldn't mind the Swamp Witch taking their children to a deadly swamp for the day.
Even if they did mind, she was over 500 and didn't much care.
"Be careful when you walk over the roots." She instructed as they came over the last few muddy patches before her home, Mildew taking the familiar route over worn out tree stumps and solid roots that came out before plunging back down into the earth. She could have done it in her sleep, but she went slowly so the kids could watch what she was doing and follow (and so she could pluck them before they uh, drowned, if they fell). "If you fall off, there's several hungry Penolaeth in there ready to nip at your ankles."
--
Make an intro post walking along the roots over swampy ground to Mildews hut!
10-12-2021, 06:01 PM (This post was last modified: 10-12-2021, 06:01 PM by Everest.)
Everest
With a notebook in hand, the Hart-boy is scribbling down every instruction that Mildew has to give. His penmanship is elegant and precise, and though the years will see his talent bloom, even now the decorative doodles of mushrooms and trees that he fills the blank space of his pages with are quite whimsical and intricate.
'A Penolaeth?' Ever repeats, blue eyes wide with uncertainty. It was probably something to be afraid of, but Ever needed to know just what sort of thing it was. Fearing it was no problem at all. He was quite good at that.
"Are there any things here that would be...good to give as gifts? In a...you gave me something so now I'm obligated to give you something back sort of way?" Ever asks hopefully, as he takes a comically large step over a root so as not to come close to touching it.
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
Mateo is everything that Ever isn't, proving the boys to be as different as chalk and cheese, and yet very good friends regardless. "Oh, I saw a picture of those in a book once! They're like hermit crabs but they use skulls instead of shells, right?" he says brightly, sounding absolutely enthralled by the idea of plunging his foot into the swamp water to meet one. He doesn't, but that's mainly because Ever distracts him, and the Taliesin boy takes an equally as comical step over the protruding root.
"If you picked me a bunch of mushrooms I'd think it was a great gift," he points out to Ever, despite the gift absolutely not being for him and pretty much no one wanting to receive mushrooms anyway. Regardless, once they have reached their destination Mateo gazes up at Mildew with a wide and dimpled smile, awaiting further instruction.
Before Mildew could explain Penolaeths, Mateo jumped in with his own description. It was accurate, though lacked some of the theatrical horror she was going to give the creature. "Yes. And if you aren't careful, they might fancy your little heads for a shack."
Reaching solid ground (or at least, relatively so - all ground in the Feverlands was muddy and sloppy, felt as if it might pulse or give out at any moment), she turned to answer Ever first: "Why do you want to give a gift like that? The point of gifts is meant to be that they're from your heart, not borne from the hope of receiving something in return. Though..." Mildew smirked and her eyes held the mischievous twinkle of one that had observed life from the outside for hundreds of years. "If you really need it, I do have something."
But they were here to pick mushrooms. Around them there were plenty, perhaps not obvious at first sight, but Mildew knew where to look. "Alright. The two of you need to find a mushroom each and I will tell you both about it. You could look...under those leaves, there-" She pointed to some large leaves that had created a shadowy area under a tree. "On the other side of that log-" A long fallen tree, mossy and wet. "Or along the edge of the water. Be careful, and don't eat anything until I say you can."
"I think that my head might make a pretty good shack," Mateo says softly, knocking on the side of his head as if to test if it's hollow enough to make a good home for a Penolaeth. "Maybe when I'm done with it I can have someone put it here so it can be helpful to someone." Done with it, of course, meaning no longer possessing a brain inside it.
But there are mushrooms to collect, and given that Mateo has already expressed his enthusiasm for swamp water, he decides to look at the fringes of the murky depths for mushrooms. "I won't!" he promises Mildew, plodding off towards the edge of the water and crouching down to dig through for mushrooms. "Are they okay to touch?" he calls back.
Mateo looks for mushrooms at the edge of the water!
Well, that about settles it. If it's something Mateo would like, then surely Paige would as well. And if not? Well, maybe that was just her problem then. Though what Mildew has to say has the boy stopping and reconsidering. "But..it..doesn't come from the heart. I think it comes from here." Pointing at his stomach where a knot of anxiety often formed, he looks toward the demigod with a frown. "She gave me something and so I have to get her something back. Or is that wrong?"
Reaching for a stick (before checking to make sure it wasn't a cleverly disguised snake, as often happened in the Greatwood), Ever begins to gently lift up leaves. Each time he freezes as if expecting some vile or deadly (or both) creature to come scurrying out, and so his progress is incredibly slow.
Ever looks under leaves!
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
Mildew approved very much of Mateo's plan to put his skull out for the creatures of the swamp, as was evidenced by her smile at the idea. "I'll be sure to have it organised. I think it would be lovely to help the swamp like that." If she ever did die, she'd like something similar, bones made into hides and meat fed to the needy animals.
Ever was a little bit less of a star pupil, insisting his gift giving urge came from his stomach, but Mildew wouldn't hold it against him. "Well, did she expect something back? Sometimes, we do just get gifts. Or help people, expecting nothing in return." Without more details, it was impossible to help the boy navigate his little social dilemma.
The two of them went looking for mushrooms. First she went to Mateo who would have found at the edge of the water a mushroom that smelt distinctly of wet dog. Still, despite the off-putting smell, it was rather attractive, a small white cap with dainty pink spots around the edges. "Yes. In fact, if you can get past the smell, you could eat one. They taste like desserts." Mildew told him with a wink.
As for Ever, she smirked at how hesitantly he was picking up the leaves and twigs - eventually though, his patience was rewarded, with the discovery of two wide, flat brown mushrooms. Thick plates of fungus on the top and a distinctly earthy scent. "Aahh. You've found something quite valuable there, though you probably shouldn't eat it. It gives hallucinations for days - many people seek it out for this reason, but I don't think your parents would like me sharing it with you."
With their mushrooms gathered, she would add them to her basket (though if either of them really wanted to eat their finds, they could). "You know, every hundred years or so I ask people what it is they call the flora here. I have my names, of course, but they're many years old now. I like to keep up to date. Perhaps you two could make new names for your discoveries for me."
===
Eat or don't eat your shroom, then think of a name for it :D
"Thank you," Mateo trills, as if hearing that there would be someone around to help deliver his skull to the Penolaeth was a great relief. And an even greater relief is the sight (if not smell) of the fungus that he finds, the boy crouched down beside it to examine it properly. "Like... desserts?" Whether Mildew is joking or not, she will soon discover something about Mateo that will very soon become a personality trait in earnest: he'll try anything.
And so, having absolutely eaten his mushroom (desserts, Mildew!), he trudges back towards Everest, also seeming interested in the flat hallucinogenic fungi he's found. "Are you sure I couldn't eat that one as well?" he asks, grinning up at the demigoddess, before proudly proclaiming, "I will call mine a DogSpot Mushroom!"
"I don't know." Ever replies. "It just...showed up." Paige was quickly becoming one of the most confusing people he'd ever met, and if it weren't for Mildew's declaration that the mushrooms he'd found could cause hallucinations, he might have continued to overthink his situation with her.
"Oh." He gulps a touch helplessly. "My...my mother is a doctor. So no, I don't think she would like it." Ever agrees, and both a good boy and a frightened one, he absolutely doesn't eat his mushroom.
"Mateo." He hisses under his breath as his friend eyes the brown fungi, giving his head a shake, before looking up to Mildew. "Oh, uhm..I will call mine..." Put on the spot, any cleverness Everest might ever have had, disappeared instantly. "Large Brown Hallucinogenic Mushroom."
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
"Yes, like desserts." And indeed, Mateo would find that when he bit into the mushroom it tasted sweet and a little nutty, like a pecan pie or something similar (and appropriately Caido-y). As for eating the other one, she shrugged. "You can, but I'm not answering to your father about why you're having hallucinations for the next day." Child or not, if Mateo made the choice himself, Mildew thought he ought to stand by it.
Approving of the name 'Dogspot', she went to speak to Ever. "Smart. What's your mothers name, dear? I don't think I know who your parents are..." Mildew asked, humming as she wondered whether it was a good idea to take random children into the woods to hunt for mushrooms.
Well, too late now.
"Well, that name is...straight forward." She nodded, then looked back to her home, the humble little shack sitting in among the mushrooms, reeds and trees. "Let's go inside. I can make you a gift for your friend if you want Ever. And maybe if you're both good and gather plenty of the Dogspot mushrooms, I could make a pie. Whoever brings me more might get something special."
---
Gather more mushrooms than the other kid and maybe you'll get a special prize.
(sorry for the lack of high octane action here but I'm not sure how combat-ready these children are)
"Everest," Mateo hisses back, though he's grinning to his friend before looking up at Mildew to hear her opinions on their names and other activities. "It's okay - I can answer to him. I'll save some for him as well," he says, reaching into the basket to rescue the Large Brown Hallucinogenic Mushroom, stuffing it into the pocket of his jacket. And with that done, apparently now it's a competition.
"A Dogspot pie?" he trills, nudging Ever and turning to already race awayback towards the water's edge. He has no intention of collecting less mushrooms than the other boy, not since he has named them. And since he's forgotten to bring anything to carry them with, he'll just have to use the crook of his arm or the rest of his jacket.
Mateo takes the hallucinogenic mushroom (but he doesn't eat it yet) and goes on the hunt for more Dogspots!
"Her name is October Hart." Ever replies promptly, smiling at the mere thought of his mother. "And Finn Rosencrantz is my father. Though sometimes people call him the Spyglass." He adds, helpfully (or so he thinks).
Frowning hard with his disapproval as Mateo pockets his newly named mushrooms, Ever makes a mental note to do his best to weigh the mushrooms before his friend has a chance to eat them. Disinclined to eat sweet things (they were bad for your teeth and besides, Ever was already a bit chubby), nevertheless he does his best to try and find more Dogspot Mushrooms as requested. Unlike Mateo his efforts are careful and intentional, and by the time he makes it back to Mildew's hut he only has 3-4 in his arms. They are perfect representations of the fungus though, with almost no defects. He'd say it was quality over quantity, but given that these were literal fungus, that probably didn't apply.
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
Mildew laughed to herself at the idea of Ronin being offered drugs by his own child, but didn't stop it. It was the kind of thing that after many many years, she found more amusing than concerning. Hopefully Safrin's favoured knew how to live in moderation.
She'd never heard of Everest's parents. The names didn't ring a bell at all, which was not too unusual given where and how distant she lived, but there had been several names that had cropped up over and over again - neither were one of them, so she assumed they had to be simple, unassuming people. "And why do they call him that?"
Mateo won the mushroom collecting hunt by a long way, the amount of little fungi he could fit in his arm quite impressive. It was noticed that Everest had been more selective than slow, but the competition had been for the most, and so she clapped Mateo's shoulder as they went into the little hut. "Congratulations. Now. Both of you sit down and I'll start making this pie. If you'd like you can look at the cards there." An array of her fortune-telling cards surrounded the two little chairs by the window - different decks and selections in odd sizes, colours and styles. Some depicted the Gods, some more mundane things like trees or household items, some lovers or fools or thieves. "Maybe if you choose one each, I'll tell you what it means. It'll tell your future."
Not really how it worked, but it was good enough for kids.
---
Pick a card each from here and DM me what you got, make a post of your child getting a Caido-esque version of that card (ie include Gods if appropriate or specific fauna, etc).
"Because he has glasses that let him see things that...aren't really there." Although..they must have been there if the glasses could see them. Thinking as much, Ever frowns suddenly and shakes his head to amend his answer. "Invisible things. Things most people can't see." That sounded better.
Not bothered at all that Mateo had won—of course he had, not that Ever was properly trying—the Hart boy flashes his friend a congratulatory smile and does as he's told. Sitting at the table, Ever bites at the inside of his cheek as he looks at the deck of cards. Though he doesn't know anything about the arcane, something writhes in his stomach. It curls and slithers, telling him both that something could happen here, but also that he should probably be careful.
"Okay. Thank you." He said of Mildew's offer to tell his future, plucking out a card at random. And wouldn't you know, it was the death card. With wide eyes and a mouth that had dropped open, Ever silently shows the card to Mateo, mouthing the words I'M GOING TO DIE.
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
