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!
you are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world
Finn Rosencrantz has received a letter.
One that has not only spawned another letter in its wake, but has caused fireworks to go off behind the Spyglass's eyes. The cogs of his mind have not been forced to spin like this in seasons, and as he exits the attic room where he used to live (nowadays it's a store room more than anything else), it's with long, loping strides and a preoccupied frown.
He needs to find Noah Olsen. That is the name of Vi's new demigod. And that, he hopes, will be a good springboard for what might need to happen next. With his hands buried in the pockets of his black coat, he hurries down through the Tower, planning on dropping by the infirmary to see whether or not Tobi has been able to meet with Noah yet.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
The hunter left the clinic with a stack of papers that said things along the lines of you are healthy and we don't know a lot about your new condition and be careful. He folded the paper and stuffed it down into his pocket, both hands digging deep as he used his shoulder to push open the door from the clinic. He sighed, rolling his neck some. There seemed to be so many people that he needed to find and talk to, but Cian continued to be on the top of the list. He was the head of the Order, and might have more answers for the Halovian.
Completely consumed by his own thoughts, as had been his pattern for the last few seasons, the quickly moving man hadn't noticed the other, dark-haired man coming his way. Noah almost trampled over the man with his hands in his pockets, a mirrored image of himself as he rounded the corner. "Oh, sorry." Noah said quickly, hands lifting from his pockets and raising between them as a buffer, eyes blinking back the surprise he felt from their near head on collision.
10-18-2021, 08:09 PM (This post was last modified: 10-18-2021, 08:10 PM by Finn.)
you are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world
They collide in that awful way where the bump isn't nearly as bad as the unwelcome surprise. Add in the fact that Noah is a veritable wall of Halovian muscle and Finn nearly bounces himself right onto his backside in the corridor. He manages to keep his balance, luckily, and his hands leave his pockets to similarly try to catch himself, or the other man, or both. "No, I ought to apologise. I wasn't..." Looking where I was going.
But he is looking now, at least, realising that he's dropped the letter he had tucked into his pocket in the sudden attempt to keep from falling. "Ah, whoops." Bending to retrieve it, he straightens back up again and steps aside for the stranger to get on his way. Because obviously he knows where he is going, and obviously Finn is taking up his time here.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
The man seemed as contained within his own head as Noah was. As he scrambled to pick up the papers that fumbled from his hands and pockets, Noah stepped to the side of the hallway. "I should really have been paying more attention." He shrugged a little, in a gesture that took the blame away from each of them. After all, accidents were accidents. Even an onlooker would be laughing at them, at this point. "Uh, actually, I am looking for Cian's office. Do you know where that is?"
The hunter paused in the hallway, turning briefly and gesturing two different ways with his hands, hoping for instructions from the stranger. "My name's Noah, by the way. Figure you should know that since I almost flattened you."
you are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world
"As should I. No harm done." Finn nods, tucking the letter back into his pocket and turning as if to get on his way, when the very man he is looking for introduces himself and asks for directions. For a moment Finn merely stands in the corridor, awkwardly silent as his mind knits together the conclusions, before he seems to recover. "Noah Olsen?" he murmurs hopefully.
"I can show you the way." Regardless of whether or not the man is that Noah or not, and he turns to gesture down a turning to their left towards a stairwell. "Cian's office is a few floors up from here." And it is a place that he tries to avoid with exquisite precision, truth be told, but this is a matter of business.
"My name is Finn Rosencrantz - I am Spyglass for the Order."
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
Noah did not feel like his question was too puzzling, but perhaps the man did not know where Cian’s office was. He suspected it was unlikely that the man did not know who Cian was, given his rank in this city. The hunter’s arms lowered back to his sides as the stranger stood there, the cogs turning in his head. ”It is okay I can—“ but he was cut off with the sudden recognition of his name. ”Yes. That’s me.” His brows knit lightly together, though he followed at Finns directions either way.
When he introduced himself and his title, it all made sense. There was a thankfulness that came over Noah that he hasn’t become some overnight sensation. For the Order to know about him and his standing in the world made sense. After all, it was probably in Cian’s book. ”Oh? And what does that look like?” he asked, genuinely curious about how the different aspects of the order members worked.
you are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world
Finn seems to let out a breath he's not aware he's been holding at the confirmation that he's meeting with Vi's newest demigod. "It is good to meet you," he says, because it is. And this is the sort of conversation that can quite easily be had as they ascend the steps to Cian's office, and so Finn glances over his shoulder as he starts up the stairs. As Noah will soon discover, the Order's Spyglass is a very literal sort, and he has no shortage of quirks.
So when he's asked what the Spyglass looks like, Finn's brow furrows, and he points at himself as if Noah might not have realised that he was the person in question. "If it isn't too much trouble, I was actually looking for you when we ran into each other. I wondered if you might be able to help me with something."
Finn pauses in the stairwell so he and the other man can stand with one another and speak openly. "I have been tasked with putting together a group to seek out a relic in the Oerwoud," he says. "I am a researcher, but this falls under my jurisdiction. I wondered if you might have any recommendations for suitable candidates. I have already reached out to two of your fellow demigods - Remi and Ronin Taliesin. I understand this may be quite dangerous."
Has he accidentally given Noah the answer he was looking for anyway? If so, Finn doesn't realise it.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
When Finn paused, and gestured back to himself, Noah paused as well. He could have laughed at it, but the way Finn's face looked made it clear to the Halovian that it was not a joke. His eyebrows nearly met together, and he opened his mouth to recreate his question in a clearer manner, but Finn pressed the conversation onward. Noah's mouth closed gently as he listened, and as the two men stopped in the stairwell, he leaned his hip against the railing.
As the information unfolded, the hunter understood the man's position more clearly. Perhaps he had meant all along for this to be the way he explained his position in the Order. Perhaps this was usually the way he spoke. Noah would not know better, either way. He had just met the man, after all. "Deimos Ignatius. He's the strongest man I know, and holds both the power of the attuned and of the mages." Noah's words slip through his lips without hesitation, but as they did he wished he could have reeled in his description of Deimos. He knew of Stormbreak's aversion to abandoned and their magic, but if Finn was looking for strength, determination, and skill, he would find it in Deimos.
"Do you have any idea what this relic might be? Or what it will do?" Noah asked, grip tightening on the stairway railing.
you are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world
Finn, as Noah will soon come to realise, very much appreciates when things are simple, and the fact that the other man cuts right to the chase has him subtly relaxing in stance and in words. "I have heard of him," he says of Deimos - he had been one of the potential demigod contenders in the past. "Do you know where he is at the moment? I can send a letter, the same as I have done with the Taliesins."
As for the relic in question, Finn can only shake his head gently, retrieving Cian's letter from his pocket once more and unfolding it that Noah might read. "I will also be attending, but not to fight," he explains. "Would you like to come as well?"
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
Noah nodded, "I trust him with everything that I have, and I know his devotion to Safrin is strong and he is unwaveringly on the side of the old gods." Noah was glad that Finn did not outright dismiss Deimos for the magical blood that ran through his veins. "He is in King's End, though he may be making his way to Torchline now. I sent him a letter when I first arrived. We had been traveling together, when Vi brought me here." He explained, which really mean, I don't know exactly where he is at all.
Taking the letter from the Spyglass, Noah read it over thrice. Remi and Ronin had already gotten a relic, and Sunjata had helped them. Noah's jaw feathered some, knowing they could not trust Sunjata. He shared his life and his bed with an ascended (and a demigod, at that), which meant he could not stand with them, in Noah's opinion. Handing the letter back to Finn, Noah explained himself a little further. "I don't know what I can do, now that I am a demigod." Noah paused between his sentences for a moment, trying to think or feel if anything was different inside of him. There was something, but he couldn't quite place it. "But I would go, even if the only thing I can do is hold a map for them." Because he didn't know how strong he was, and the way that Doctor Hart spoke, he might not consider himself strong right now at all.
you are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world
Finn listens carefully to Noah - even if he does not entirely know where Deimos is, this is precisely the Spyglass's job, and he will be able to find out for certain. A small smile tugs at his lips to hear the reassurance about Deimos and his views; he had assumed as much given the fact that the man came on Noah's recommendation, but this is definitely encouraging. "Thank you," he murmurs, waiting for him to be finished with the letter before he tucks it back into his pocket.
"Well, as long as you are sure, I would welcome the company," he admits, and that is truly a rarity. But waiting in the jungle in the middle of Longnight alone? Not even Finn is unaffected by that sort of thing. "I will let you know, then, once everything is arranged." It is simple enough for them to get to Torchline (Finn with his compass and Noah by skyboat) and they can make their way to the Oerwoud from there. "Shall we go ahead, then?" To Cian's office, he means.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
There were many more things Noah wanted to address with the Spyglass. Questions rolled around in his mind, but Finn's brief words silenced them all. There would be time, after all, to have his questions answered. The hunter gave a firm nod, indication enough for Finn to keep leading him up to Cian's office, and followed. At the top of the stairs, "Phoebe Steadman gave me this address to stay at. This is where you can send word for me." He said, reaching deep into his pockets to look for the address she had scrawled down for him. He handed it to Finn, having already memorized where he needed to go based on her verbal instructions (which he understood better, as a whole). "I'll be ready." He said, before nodding his good-bye and heading towards the office of the Eye.
