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!
The Sword offered a low snort at the proclamation, for he’d been in the midst of several dramatic flairs simply by wake of being an Outlander at a time where the perception hadn’t been very keen. At least in the Hollowed Grounds. Over time they’d all managed to manifest themselves into the nooks and crannies of Caido’s life – adjusting, acclimating, and adapting when and where they could. And while they brought their fair share of experiences, he hoped the world saw them as assets now, rather than nuisances.
Attention sliding back to the lava wyrms, he continued to merely take notes. The pulse and beat of the igneous proportions seemed to settle – and there were hardly any more glimpses of potential life forms living amongst the wake. He had half a moment where he nearly reflected something about tempers and elements – considering all the ones he had stored in his own blood – but ignored it for something else. “I am not certain either. I will add it in as a potential note.” Because while they likely faced no imminent danger, there was no reason to push their boundaries or luck. “We can leave them be.” This experience alone would be suitable for additions to the journals, regardless. Deimos’s eyes eventually flicked back to Sah. “Have you seen anything else lately?” Beyond the scouring of dragons?
Sah nodded in agreement, "That'd probably be best. There are quite a few of them." Not that the two Abandoned couldn't hold their own or anything. Sah just really didn't' want to have to deal with hurting a whole group of creatures for minding their own business. Lilly still seemed curious about the wyrms so her bonded gently nudged her away with his knee.
Deimos's question made the younger Outlander perk up. "Yes, actually. Have you ever heard of treeflits? I saw them for the first time not that long ago. I had no idea that Caido had little winged snakes that sang. Lilly liked them too." The small creatures had been unexpected to see but an absolute delight, nonetheless. Adorable really.
Upon Sah’s observation, Deimos snorted, another boyish grin etching its way back into the corners of his mouth. “I have faced worse.” Scourges of the multitudes – from hidden beasts lurking in caverns, to poison filling his lungs in the Spire, to the gut-wrenching wakes of white dragons in the pitfalls of the Fangs – and so many more after that. But it didn’t mean he’d purposefully inflict pain and suffering on other creatures merely for existing – especially when they were the ones gliding in and out of their habitat and space.
But his inquiry landed another statement, and his gaze landed back upon the Abandoned. “No. Where did you see them?” and then he turned to a new page in the book, marking it off with a heading that said ‘Treeflit’ in emboldened charcoal. “Winged singing snakes,” he muttered, jotting the notes down with half a laugh. “I take it they were not menacing?”
Sah snickered, "Oh, I'm sure you have." There was no doubt in the younger Abandoned's mind that Deimos had had to deal with all manner of creatures. Likely ones equally bizarre as dangerous. Nothing seemed to faze the man. At least... not much. Not when it came to monsters or combat.
Considering this, Sah is a bit surprised that Deimos has never seen a treeflit. Though the creatures are rather shy from what he remembered. "I saw them in the Undergrove. I said snake but they could be legless lizards. I saw a few of those too. The treeflits were incredibly colorful. Bright and vivid tones with a pair of rainbow-feathered wings that they glided on."
Sah held out his hands about a foot and a half apart, "About this big? Shy creatures but clever. They mimicked sounds like mockingbirds. I saw someone trade them a colorful stone for a beetle but I'm not sure why." Sah shook his head at Deimos' last question, "Not from what I could tell." The treeflits were beautiful and gave a more curious then menacing air in his opinion.
Multiple wars, lifetimes, experiences, and dramatics interwoven through those threads of conflict and chaos had ensured he’d been capable of standing amidst bedlam with stoic lines and vehement nonchalance. Perhaps it wasn’t the healthiest of coping mechanisms, but it had served him well in protecting others, fending off destruction, and retaliation. No emotions. No impulses. Everything a well-orchestrated, calculated endeavor, movements a machination right down to his flesh and bone.
Eyes scanning the wyrms again, he then adjusted his attention back upon the notes, scrawling out a few notions from Sah. Colorful legless lizards, followed by rainbow-feathered wings made its way into his sketches and details, subtly smiling at the picture unfurling from quick motions of the charcoal. “Like this?” He raised the picture up for the Abandoned to see, before making a few more adjustments. “Trading with the creatures?” He arched a brow, pondering over the complexities of such a ritual.
Sah raised a brow, impressed at Deimos' drawing. "Wow, that's good. The lizards' bodies themselves are the colors of gems but otherwise that's spot on." The Swords' treeflit drawing strongly resembled what the Abandoned remembered from his encounter with the creatures. For creatures who excelled at hiding from prying eyes, they sure were vibrantly colored. It made their elusiveness all the more admirable.
The Outlander chuckled slightly at Deimos' inquiry. "Trading. It was interesting to watch. It reminded me of a person requesting a song from a bard. They whistled a few notes to entice the treeflit closer and offered up a stone. The little guy was skittish but came out to take it and leave a beetle. It then stayed a little longer for a few more notes." Though as to who was requesting a song of who, he wasn't sure.
He made an additional notation to the hues and colors of the lizards’ forms. “Are they like the molten tigers?” Affixed elementally – in patterns and hues reminding them of coin and metal. “Interesting. You would think they would want to blend in more.” If their natures were as Sah said, shy, not bold; maybe the striking hues were meant as defense and camouflage amongst the foliage, rather than ferns and leaves.
His brows furrowed slightly, though not out of frustration, but curiosity and confusion. He hadn’t heard of animals peddling amongst and amidst people before. Some could be compelled by those with Attuned proportions running in their veins, he’d done it many times, or amongst companions – but not with the wildlife itself. “I wonder what the purpose was,” not thinking, nor processing, that some individuals might have yearned for the tunes for the simple sake of entertainment. “It does not sound like we will add them to our collection of monsters,” and he laughed slightly, though the reverberations were quiet in the place of not wishing to disturb the wyrms. “But to the journals, at least.”
Sah hummed, "I don't think so? I think it was mostly just color variety." He nodded at Deimos' point, "It is strange. But they're pretty quick so I guess it balances out." Similar to colorful bugs or birds most likely. Perhaps the color variety had some other benefit?
The trading behavior certainly was strange but somewhat endearing. "If we trade them enough, we might get some answers", Sah noted with a chuckle. They probably weren't a monster to keep but they were still worth investigating. Even if that was based solely on his own curiosity.
The Abandoned glanced at the wyrms when one puddle of lava rippled, "Should we head out and leave them to sleep?"
The perplexities and contradictions of Rae and Frey’s creatures weren’t beyond him – just muddling and confusing at times. He shrugged his shoulders and left the notions at that, closing his notebook, adding it to his bag. Observations and information had been keen today, and successful reaches had been breached beside bizarre shrines; enough that he’d be content with the outing. “Perhaps,” he uttered with a light rumble and distant smile, picking his way along the stones and leaving the wyrms to rally amongst themselves again. “We can head out.” Without his companions, there was no need to hasten or scramble after Belial – and he could fly back the way he’d come, avoiding portals and their perils too.
His eyes did happen to ghost down the vacant halls and paths that he knew led to Halo’s outreach – habitual, perhaps, and tempted to stray. Then the moment dispersed, and he nodded towards Sah. “I will let you know if I hear anything else.” About the mountains or otherwise. The Sword extended another mild grin, a nod of his head, before he was an eagle again – hastening away from lava and extremes.
