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!
11-08-2021, 09:02 PM (This post was last modified: 11-10-2021, 08:13 PM by Odd.)
Isla
Isla arrives, as promised, two days after sending the letter to Nate and Azrael. Darkness has draped itself around the Barrows, and yet the moonlight seems to bathe the Last Step in shades of silver. Her head tilts up to look at the top step, the one with all the legends and stories, and she lets out a soft breath and tucks her hands in the pockets of her coat.
"Once Nate arrives, we'll see if we can call out for the Prince," Isla suggests to Azrael, smiling across at them. "Wessex gave me all the information we should need. With any luck we can get in contact with him and convince him to come back to the Hollowed Grounds. I know he isn't... well. You know. But I think the Grounds is probably all he has known."
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
They received the letter from Isla and they’re very excited to be able to join her and Nate on the search for the Prince. They tried to learn as much as they could about him, between Wessex and a few small texts in the Atheneum, but beside that they feel relatively under prepared. Still, they hope that between them all it’ll work out.
So they show up to the Last Step – it’s their first time being here, and their wonderment covers their face as they look around to the moonlit steps before their head swings back toward Isla. “Okay!” They chime. “I have my healing, too, so maybe… Maybe if he’s hurt maybe it’ll work on him and he’ll feel better?” They suggest thoughtfully, before their brows pinch. “I can also make something for us… Or him, maybe. It’s still new and kind of funny sometimes since it doesn’t always work, but I’m willing to try.” They’d try anything to help the Prince because they knew if they were in a similar situation they’d certainly just want help over brawn and force.
And from there, they're quiet as they wait excitedly for Nate's arrival.
shadows dance around the room, i know their names, i carry their blood too
It's not the first time he's been invited after the Prince, but it is the first time he's actually been able to show up, and it's clear from every heavy thud of his boots that Nate is not about to walk away from this empty-handed. They're bringing this slimy fucker back one way or the other.
A grin manages to slide across his features as he joins the little group, arms both flesh and not slinging around both Azrael and Isla. "You're not getting started without me, are you?" Nate manages to inject just the slightest edge of a whine into his joking tone, his bright yes ruining the effect with the way they flick around, as if he's expecting to run into an ambush of toxic gas right here.
"We're not waiting on anyone else, right?"
Get my pretty name out of your mouth Don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how I feel
Isla smiles to Azrael, but before she can comment on both their new and existing abilities (and is it just her or does the kid get cooler every time she sees them?), Nate's voice draws her attention away. "Start without you? We'd never dream of it!" she trills to him, leaning into the offered embrace before stepping back and gazing once more towards the Last Step towering nearby.
"No, it's just us this time. I'm going to call out for the Prince. Wessex sent me some information; I think his name used to be Emyr King, and that he was in love with someone called Tallulah King. But she died, and somehow he ended up like this..." Smiling over her shoulder to Azrael, Isla steps forward. "Maybe stay back, for now. Just in case," she suggests to them.
And then, without further ado, Isla announces their presence. "Hello, Prince? Emyr? Are you here?"
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
Was the Prince here? Or were the clues given and then given again ignored for too long?
The Last Step disappears into a shroud of nothingness above you as a breeze that carries a crispness none of the ascended will feel, brushes through the grasses. The Prince, if he's here around to hear Isla's call, does not answer.
What do you do?
Your randomly assigned order is Az, Nate, Isla. You have 48 hours.
They fidget a fraction, until Nate’s arrival and their group is whole — gaze darting to their fellow demigod with a bright fanged smile of greeting, shaking their head in disagreement that anything had started without Nate. Isla’s quick to comment that it’s just the three of them, though, and with that and the idea to stay back that’s exactly what they do.
They stare at the Last Step which seems to vanish, dark brows furrowing together and they take a slight step forward, confusion glimmering in their gaze — and nothing else seems to happen. “Mister King?” They call out, still confused before their gaze drifts back to their group. “I don’t see anything. Should we look around?” They take another step forward, scanning the area for anything that might end up being a clue.
Azrael calls out again, and takes a few steps forward to look around the area for anything that sticks out at them!
shadows dance around the room, i know their names, i carry their blood too
Whatever he’d expected, it had been more than this. Though, thinking back, Nate seems to remember that the last search for the Prince had involved confused wandering - according to Sunjata it had only been the last few moments where things got truly dangerous.
Might as well get started then.
“I don’t think we really have any other choice.” Nate sighs, his shoulders dropping as a hand comes up to brush his hair back, short unruly curls popping back up as soon as they’re free of his palm. He takes a few short steps towards Az, leaning this way and that one search of... something. He’d know it when he sees it wouldn’t he? “You said the Prince has some kind of uh... acid?” Bright eyes lift, flicking between ISLA and Azrael. “That’d leave some evidence, don’t you think?”
Nate looks around for signs of acid damage on anything
Get my pretty name out of your mouth Don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how I feel
"Mm, you would think so," Isla agrees with Nate, similarly glancing around as Azrael calls out after her, as they try to look for signs of damage on anything. And overhead, the steps to nowhere seem to blur and vanish, shrouded by cloud or something altogether more magical.
"I'm going to look up there," she tells the others with a small smile. "If nothing else, maybe I'll be able to get a better view, though the visibility doesn't seem great..." Nevertheless that won't stop the Remedy, and she starts climbing the Last Step.
"Emyr?" she calls out again, cupping her hands around her mouth to let her voice carry further.
Isla calls out for the Prince again and starts to climb the Last Step!
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
11-17-2021, 04:31 AM (This post was last modified: 11-17-2021, 04:31 AM by Random Event.)
Azrael, with an intuition stat of a whopping 0, doesn't really notice anything in their surroundings. They weren't at the strange luxere sighting that occurred here and so have nothing to compare the state of the ground with. Neither were Nate or Isla actually, and that...could have been useful.
For instance, it would answer Nate 's question of whether anything looked touched by acid, or whether this place simply looked this way at the beginning of the season.
There's no response from the Prince as Isla calls out again. When she reaches the very last step, presumably she'll have exactly what she thinks: a higher vantage point with which to consider the slightly foggy vista.
This is relatively difficult, not noticing anything about how the area might appear differently. As far as they’re concerned, they think it looks just about the same as it might have always had – after all, it’s the first time Azrael’s been to the Last Step. But, they have read a lot of books, and they start to think about all the stories of things when Isla mentions she’s going to climb up the steps.
The youngest demigod casts a glance toward Nate as an idea forms in their head and they trot after Isla, climbing up the steps after her. “I have an idea.” They say quietly, as if saying the fact they had one aloud might make it fail (which it might, but it’s all they have to go off of right now). They reach the last step of the Last Step, peer out at the foggy vista, and close their eyes with their hands clasping in front of them.
“I wish to find and talk to Emyr King, the Prince.” They don’t know if it’ll work, but rumor had it wishes were granted on this step, and it’s the only thing they can think of to even try to get their noses pointed in the right direction.
shadows dance around the room, i know their names, i carry their blood too
Azrael joins Isla at the top of the stairs, Nate glancing up at the pair of them now and then, his brows pinched every time. Both his feet stay firmly on the ground though, tamping out a perimeter that widens with every loop, false arms crackling into existence to poke at anything that seems interesting. He’s smart enough to not use his own hands at least.
A thought occurs to him, Nate looking up from the ground once again, but staring to the east, towards the Grounds. “Do you think he’d stay near a river? There was one in the tunnels, right? And it would have to flow... somewhere?” The question is more directed at Isla, bright eyes lifting to look at his fellow doctor so he doesn’t interrupt his niblings wish. “Do you see anywhere likely from up there?”
Nate searches around the perimeter in a spiral, and suggests they look for some kind of water
Get my pretty name out of your mouth Don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how I feel
Smiling to see Azrael come up to join her, Isla cocks her head to the side as she listens out for Nate. "That would make a lot of sense!" she agrees, calling back down to him and glancing to Az just as they speak about their idea - and their wish. Isla has read a few things about King's End and about the Last Step, though evidently she hasn't delved as deeply as Azrael.
"No, the fog is pretty dense up here," she tells Nate, though - with a smile in Azrael's direction - she does admit, "I do wish I could see a little better, though." Not realising that the wish has any chance of being more than in this space (if, indeed, anything does happen), Isla merely tries to find any traces or signs of the Prince on the steps.
Isla wishes she could see the view better and looks for traces of the Prince on the Last Step.
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
Wish granting must presumably be a rare occurrence, or there would be more lined up here to make them. Just the same, one of you has been very lucky indeed.
Though Nate won't be able to see it below, both Isla and Az will notice a shimmering before them, like some sort of not-quite-there-gateway. Their sensors will tell them that what's directly ahead is not unlike a portal, but that whatever it is, it isn't Voice-created.
They pause, staring at the expanse in front of them, brows pinching together as they try to think of another option. Luckily, Isla’s beside them and their mind flickers around what Nate’s suggested. The fog being dense is a slight problem, and after a moment they suddenly begin to see something shimmering and strange. So strange.
“Do you see that, Miss Isla?” They ask, pointing a finger toward the shimmering like-a-portal-but-not-a-portal. “Nate! I think we found something!” But alas, they don’t know what it means. Truthfully, they’re hoping the more adultier of the Ascendeds than they are will be able to tell them what the hell is going on.
Another brief moment of pause before their nose twitches in uncertainty. “It doesn’t look… Like it would be good for us to go through.” They admit a bit woefully, eyes doe-like as they slip over toward Isla.
Az is a bit useless but they announce to Nate and Isla that they see something! They also say that they don’t think it’d be good for the Ascended to go through it.
shadows dance around the room, i know their names, i carry their blood too
