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!
How can you remain, Staring at the rain, Maddened by the stars?
On foot or by wing, hitching rides on merchant wagons and finding sleep in lukewarm pockets of wilderness, Azure crossed lush jungle, thick marshland and sleeping hills, finally landing to rest just outside the Grounds.
Her feet had grown heavy at the approach, weighed down by instinct and the anchor of memory. Her camp lay out of sight of the Grounds' scorched boundary, where young grass bled into a warning for those who entered the cursed land. And yet, it lay there, just beyond the hill, like a nagging behind her eyes.
Seeping over the rock like shadow over a pond was the light of her fire, touching the awakening trees and every once in a while, irises of creatures stirred out of snowy slumber. The flame broke the silence, crackling as it ate through kindling. Azure laid a branch over it and rubbed her hands together before facing them towards the warmth. The chill of Deepfrost still lurked, seeping into her blanket.
The girl looked up, where the moon was still fresh on the sky. She leaned against the rockface, letting her eyes cast down onto the ground. This place is calm and reverent. If she can, she'll let it lull her to sleep before she has to decide on her next move.
11-03-2021, 06:59 PM (This post was last modified: 11-03-2021, 07:00 PM by Nikolai.)
Nikolai
Not all truths Belong to the light
Nikolai knew he'd fucked up. He's gotten carried away in helping his family prepare for war and his own research that he'd gone far too long without replenishing his fluids. The young Ascended had only been so for a year and had overestimated how long he could go without replenishing. Now he was in serious trouble.
The Ascended couldn't feel pain, no. But he could feel his sensors going off with increasing intensity. Nikolai needed to get to a shrine fast. Thankfully the sun had set so he was able to race along the landscape. It was beautiful at night, the newly emerged flowers glistening in the moonlight. Any other time, Nikolai would have stopped in awe, but at the moment he hardly noticed.
It was as he was running that a scent reached him that had him screeching to a halt. There in the grass was someone resting, someone with blood. Nikolai subconsciously licked his fangs and stepped forward, only to freeze in horror. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He backpedaled rapidly, tripping on his own feet and crashing to the ground. His wide eyes were locked on the stranger and he wondered if he looked as desperate and feral as he felt.
His sensors blared, this time encouraging him to take what he needed. Voice croaking, he called out to the stranger. "You need to leave." The Ascended flinched, gritting his teeth, "Now." Nikolai swallowed harshly, feeling his control slipping, "Please."
11-05-2021, 10:44 PM (This post was last modified: 11-05-2021, 10:48 PM by Azure.)
How can you remain, Staring at the rain, Maddened by the stars?
When in the wilderness at night, the unexpected rustling of grass almost always signals danger. A cruelty to one as exhausted as Azure was, on the cusp of slipping into the gentle embrace of sleep. Maybe this time it was a harmless bunny?
She jerked up, eyes springing open. Bunnies don't swear. (Not in front of her, anyway.) Her vision still blurry, at first she spotted only the outline of a dark figure toppling towards her. The fingers that were clumsily searching her vest for the knife stashed inside hesitated, ever so slightly. In that moment it did look like something helpless was in the grass. Helpless and desperate.
Her eyes narrowed, searching the darkness for a hidden threat, something this man was running from, as her fingers found their grip around the knife's hilt. Then came the warning. Or the threat. Strange and vague, but chilling enough to chase the hesitation from her limbs as they lifted her off the ground. "What happened to you?", she managed to ask him as the feeling of danger rapidly overtook the space between them. Letting her knife fall to the ground she began to shift, trusting her wings to take her from the peril that approached in the dark.
Seeing the Attuned to shift in an attempt to flee was the final nail in the coffin. Nikolai's sensors screamed at him not to let the stranger get away, to not miss this opportunity to replenish his strength. Before the Attuned could flee, the Ascended leaped forward with night-boosted speed, a snarl tearing out of his throat. Nikolai grabbed Azure by the shoulders and pinned her onto her back.
Fangs bared, he had a split second of consciousness. Just enough to stop himself from tearing her throat out. Instead he dove forward, fangs alone piercing her neck. A wound that was deep but would heal and might not even scar if treated quickly enough.
As her blood rushed into his mouth, the Ascended couldn't help but let out a small groan of relief as his sensors quieted down. The unexpectedly pleasant taste made Nikolai sink into the sensation.
How can you remain, Staring at the rain, Maddened by the stars?
Contracting limbs were jerked back. The twisting fibers at her body's edges gave out in a silent scream. Her vision blurred as she hit the ground, having regained her human form, so numb she barely felt the impact.
She did feel what came next. The assailant's strength as he pinned her in place, her flesh pierced with unnatural ease and a knot of panic in her stomach. She thrashed and pushed with sore limbs, to no avail, as a strange poison started to mix with the pain.
Something glottal and weak left her lips, a plea or demand, as a wave of chills reverbeated through her body, weakening her resistance. Azure's knees bucked, hands gripping the stranger's clothes, somewhere between trying to push him off and pull him towards the fire. Then, from somewhere inside this lulled state came a burst of strength. "Get off," she rasped, finding her voice. Lashing out, the girl scratched his face while her other hand reached towards the fire, willing to burn them both to set herself free. She strained against him, groaning as all she grabbed hold of was a handful of dirt.
The feeling of relief was quickly overwhelmed by a welcome heat. Nikolai had heard that drinking blood would feel good, but it did nothing to prepare him for the reality. Once his systems stopped screaming and his fluid was replenished, the young Ascended came to his senses. He became aware of the person squirming beneath him and their blood on his clothes.
With horror he leapt back, crashing once more to the ground as his eyes went wide with horror. "Oh fuck, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?!" He had bit someone. He'd bit someone without their consent. The situation washed over him, and Nikolai felt sick with guilt. What if he'd seriously hurt them? His eyes snapped to the person feeling marginal relief to see that their chest was still rising and falling. He hadn't killed them, thank fuck.
How can you remain, Staring at the rain, Maddened by the stars?
A barbed tangle of conflicting feelings fogged Azure's thoughts. Fear, anger, confusion, pleasure, all struggling to gain prominence.
When it was over her hands darted up to hold the wound on her neck, slick and bloody. Her legs scampered across the ground, pushing her back towrds the rockface. Her instincts were still stuck, flaring, telling her to run, to beat her wings as hard as she could and fly away.
The smell in the air was heavy, thick and metalic.
Like an animal in a predator's gaze, Azure watched her blood drip down his chin. Still and wide-eyed. Was she ok? What a question.
There was no answer at first, but then she shook her head ever so slightly, disbealief beginning to read on her face. What she was going to say dripped heavy with rage, sarcasm and contmept but when she curled her lip to speak she felt the familiar tug of her curse, gearing to twist her words into a mockery of her intent. Powerlessness dug deep, like a thorn in her chest.
"You got what you wanted," she said intead, voice rasping, breath stuck in her chest like glue, "Leave me be." As she spoke, she felt her consciousness begin to waiver. She dug her nails into her skin as hard as she could in a struggle to remain awake while the threat still loomed in front of her in blurred vision.
Nikolai felt sick and disappointed in himself, "I didn't want this. I'm so sorry. I went too long without replenishing my fluids and...I was trying to get there in time... I.. I didn't think I'd run into anyone. I'm so, so, so sorry." Each word dripped with genuine guilt, hands gesturing in flustered panic as he spoke.
Nikolai got the feeling that there was no way to rectify the situation, but he desperately wanted to. He'd never wanted to hurt anyone, and he could feel fluid building up in his eyes which he desperately suppressed. Nikolai didn't have the right to cry when it was his own damn fault.
The Ascended's disappointment in himself turned into panic when the person began to show signs of dizziness. Had he taken that much? Nikolai remained where he'd landed, scared of making things worse. "Oh shit, oh shit. Please stay awake. Please don't die. Oh fuck, what do I do?" He knew how to bandage a cut, but he had no idea what to do with something like this.
12-23-2021, 11:27 PM (This post was last modified: 12-23-2021, 11:44 PM by Azure.)
How can you remain, Staring at the rain, Maddened by the stars?
Azure looked at Nikolai as if he'd just grown a second head. It was unclear whether this was because of her double vision, or the fact that the man who had deprived her of her life essence less than a minute ago was now giving her flimsy, panicked justifications for the deed.
Was she about to see an Ascended cry? Such a rare event and she wasn't well enough to appreciate it. The smell of blood was inescapable, making her sicker with every inhale. She glanced at the ground where her hand touched the sticky auburn ground. When she tried to speak, the words stuck low in her throat, coming out as an incomprehensible mutter.
Azure was wiry, skinny and resilient, trained in endurance by the Halovian winter. But when half of her blood was gone all that turned to naught. She felt her strength fade and became suddenly aware of the extent of her helplessness and the unlikely thread that stood between her and the dark that encroached from the corners of her vision. The expression of anger gave way to pleading.
She thought, I'll get through this, and the blurry image that had been dancing before her eyes, a warm fire glow across the face of the remorseful Ascended, faded to black. She lost consciousness seconds later, wondering why she could hardly feel the warmth of the fire.
12-23-2021, 11:49 PM (This post was last modified: 12-23-2021, 11:49 PM by Nikolai.)
Nikolai
Not all truths Belong to the light
Seeing the person lose consciousness, Nikolai knew he had to do something. Wait, they had been shifting into some kind of bird, right? Maybe he could do that and find help? Or at the very least a safe place to try and tend to their wounds? The young Ascended had never bitten someone before, much less used a borrowed ability. Screwing his eyes shut, Nikolai gave it his best shot.
It took a moment, but he then felt a twinge. A stirring of sorts in his bones. And then there was a rush from his sensors as he shifted. Wings sprouted and he shrunk down until all that remained was a small bird, a rose-breasted grosbeak. The change was startling but felt surprisingly easy. With one last worried glance at teh unconscious person, Nikolai flew off in search of help.
It soon became clear that there was no one close enough to help, so his only hope was to find shelter and try to aid the person himself. Finding a secure and suitable location took time but once Nikolai had found one, he quickly turned around and flew back to his victim. Gods, his victim. What had he done?
Landing was a bit awkward due to his inexperience, but Nikolai managed. From there he shifted once more, feathers retreating until the Ascended was back in his body. Eyeing the person, he walked over. Gingerly and gently, he picked them up and begun to carry them to the place he'd picked out. "Please hang on. Please don't die." Nikolai hoped that once they arrived at the safe spot that he'd found that he'd be able to do something to help the unconscious person in his arms.
