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!
life is waiting for you, it's all messed up but we're alive
It was only recently that Ellyra had considered what she was going to ask for today. Her parents had both attuned early, solidifying their bind to the old gods. They had always given it as an option to her, but never pressed her too hard. But, in the wake of the changing world, Ellyra knew what she needed to do.
Ellyra came to the shrine early in the morning, her offering bundled tightly and held close to her chest. Lowering herself down to her knees before the shrine, Ellyra took a deep breath. "I've come to ask you to bind my soul to you -- hear me, please." Ellyra did not specify to whom she was praying, but her heart yearned to be heard by the god of her parents, Vi.
But the woman had never been answered at a shrine before.
Why, with such a request, it would be Safrin, wouldn't it? We did roll, though.
Appearing in a shower of starshine, the goddess blazes from the darkness of the Celestine—a darkness which had previously not been there until just before her arrival. Dressed in a lace gown that hugs her admirable curves, Safrin appears neither overly sexual, maternal, nor maidly. She seems strong and confident despite her overly feminine presentation of herself.
Stepping away from the shrine, Safrin breathes deeply, and as she does, juniper and honeysuckle fill the air with a fragrant pulse. 'You are indeed heard, sweet girl.' She whispers warmly, turning a galactic gaze towards Ellyra and smiling.
life is waiting for you, it's all messed up but we're alive
Darkness fell around the girl for a moment and her heart stopped. Racing, bright thoughts smacked against the inside of her -- would it be Ludo? Mort? -- before starshine filled her eyes. The blonde sucked in a breath and rocked back some, resting her weight on her heels. She gripped her own knees as she looked up at the goddess. Unable to control her jaw, she looked to Safrin with both admiration and astonishment. While she had hoped in her heart that Vi would join her today, the goddess was no second prize. She was the prize.
Ellyra sucked in her breath and it hissed between her teeth. She tried as best as she could to regain her composure, but for a woman who felt everything abruptly and out in the open, it was difficult to do. "Safrin." she breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper. Pink rushed to her cheeks and she cleared her throat, swinging but missing for dainty. "Thank you...thank you for meeting me." She let her eyes quickly drop to what she had brougt, remembering her offering. "These are for you!"
Ellyra quickly grabbed for what she had brought and lifted them up to the star incarnate. A light cream scarf, a carving of an ornate dragon, and a bouquet of fragrant flowers that cost far too much for the vagabond.
Chuckling warmly at Ellyra's surprise, the goddess beams at the girl. "You're very welcome." She replies far more gracefully, nodding her head as if she were the one with a reason to be pleased. Perhaps, given recent circumstances and betrayels she had reason to be.
Hissing in a surprised breath, the goddess sweeps off of the shrine with her hands extended. First she reaches for the scarf, fluttering it outwards where a fragrant breeze immediately catches upon it. Next her fingers touch the petals of the bouquet, and all around them the fauna of the Celestine blooms in response. "These are beautiful." Safrin murmurs as she lastly picks up the carving. "But I am not like my fellow heralds. I don't require offerings." Didn't require. Expected, though?
"Tell me beautiful girl, are you sure this is what you want?" Gently placing down the items, Safrin extends her hands towards Ellyra for the accepted to take.
life is waiting for you, it's all messed up but we're alive
Ellyra bit the inside of her cheek as Safrin took what she had brought. Heat filled her rosy cheeks as she lifted the scarf. Though there was a fragrant breeze that rolled through in the wake of her movements, Ellyra couldn't focus on anything except the goddess. Even the flowers and buds around her blooming and brightening was lost on her. "I wanted to honor who heard me. My parents always taught me that it was an honor for a god to visit with you, and that you should show them the same honor back." An offering was a sacrifice, they told her, which was why her time and talents had been spent trying to obtain what she was giving.
"I came today to ask something," The young woman paused and bit the inside of her cheek again, her weight shifting so that she no longer balanced on her heels before the goddess but came back down onto her knees, "to tie me to the old gods." She had spent her life in the Hollowed Grounds where her parents and their parents and so on detested the Voice. Ellyra had always been taught of the great wonders and doings of the old gods, and was well-versed in the destruction and power-grabbing of the Voice.
"Your parents sound very wide indeed." Safrin muses, her lips twisting prettily into a smile. Lifting an eyebrow and nodding for Ellyra to continue on, the goddess listens as the young woman makes her ask. However as she falls to her knees, Safrin is there before her in a heartbeat with her palms against the woman's shoulders and her fingers gripping her warmly.
"Never kneel, daughter of the earth and stars." Her parents might have tended to the Grounds, but now Ellyra was asking to be raised to higher heights than those trod upon. "Rise then Ellyra, and become one with the Old Gods." So saying, she will feel a lightness in her feet that forces her to rise. As she does so, it will fill her bones like laughter, rising in the back of her throat like a joyful scream that etches itself on her very soul.
From the depths of her heart comes her first form—one of many. It is carved from cunning and strength, beauty and deadly danger wrapped into a package so perfect that even Safrin is smiling when the transformation is complete.
Open your eyes, Ellyra. And tell me how it feels.
Ellyra has been attuned! Her first shift is an African lion!
I must become a lion hearted girl Ready for a fight
Ellyra rose and as she felt Safrin's hands on her her eyes closed. She took in a deep breath, committing the sweet, sweet smell around them to memory. She felt her skin tingle beneath Safrin's grip, and the warmth spread through her soul. She affirmed the goddess with a nod, the words having lost any and all meaning even if she tried to say them. She would not kneel.
As she drew in a second breath, the woman felt the world get light around her. Inside, her bones shifted and her skin felt hot. It didn't take long, and as she lifted her new body there was a sense of wholeness within her. She took in another breath. The sweet smell that surrounded them was amplified now as she took it in. The lioness opened her eyes and the world was brighter -- everything was more vibrant and beautiful and breathtaking.
It feels wonderful. she purred in response to Safrin in her mind.
Go explore this world anew. See it through new eyes and hear its secrets through new ears, but remember always my dear Ellyra— Reaching out that her palms might brush against the lioness's whiskers, her fingers smoothing through golden fur. ...remember that now you shall always have me in your heart as well. Guiding you. Watching you.
Rising, Safrin smiles with pride and adoration both as she gazes down at the new-attuned. Be strong and clever Ellyra. Such were the woman's strengths, but perhaps now she might fine-tune those skills.
