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!
01-04-2022, 05:19 PM (This post was last modified: 01-05-2022, 12:34 AM by Juniper.)
Juniper waited in the woods, curious to meet the individual who'd contacted her about hunting wicker women. As she understood it, he was new to Caido, yet volunteering to help her with this hunt -- out of curiosity, perhaps? Or some other sentiment? Of course, it didn't really matter why he helped as long as she got the wicker woman branch she needed, but in times like these, she did wonder a bit whether she could trust him. She didn't like being so suspicious, but she did keep in mind that she might have to watch her back as well as her front.
But she had experience hunting wicker women now, so she hoped this would turn out well, just a brief jaunt in the woods. After all, the trees themselves weren't deadly; the danger was getting caught in their grasp and starving, and neither Juniper nor Blackeye would let that happen to the other.
Juniper
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Blackeye arrived at the meeting point with his armor and his weapon. He deemed himself ready for a hunt. Too long he had rested, he had to get ready for the upcoming war he heard about. A hunt seemed like the right thing to see what he was still able of. He didn't like to work with a stranger but there was no other way. He knew too little. Maybe the stranger could tell him more about this woman they were about to hunt. Or did he read that wrong? Then he saw the stranger waiting there for him. "May Kor greet you, young one. Are you Juniper?" he asked politely.
01-07-2022, 11:01 PM (This post was last modified: 01-11-2022, 07:45 PM by Juniper.)
"I am," Juniper confirmed, a bit surprised to find that the man she was meeting was only a few inches taller than she was. And surprised by his greeting. "You are Blackeye, correct? Who is Kor?"
Realizing from his mention of the unfamiliar god that he must be an Outlander, she said, "Have you ever hunted a wicker woman before?" She was careful to keep doubt out of her voice -- she could see from her companion's appearance, from the care he took with his arms, that he was an experienced warrior, and she respected that. But experience on the battlefield didn't always mean one had a great grasp of woodcraft.
Juniper
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He smiled and tried to get a better mod into this conversation. " Yes I'm Blackeye, nice to meet you. Kor is the god I serve. In my world, it was polite to greet with the god you serve. Do you do it differently in yours?" he tried to say it in the friendliest tone he was capable of.
"To be honest with you, no. I never hunted a wicker woman before. So if you are so kind, can you give me some briefing on what they are capable of?" Truth was always the best. Lying was no option here. She was a huntress of the woods. She would see if lied. He took a deep breath. "But I can say that I hunted other things in my world. I'm not completely stupid. I can guard your back and know what to listen for in the hunt."
"I see," Juniper said. "No, it's not the custom here to greet others by invoking a god, but if it's polite in your land, then I thank you for the courtesy. May the gods watch over you as well." She could tell that Blackeye was trying to be friendly, and she smiled. "What is Kor's godly domain, if you don't mind me asking?"
Juniper nodded at Blackeye's admission of ignorance. "Wicker women aren't very dangerous in and of themselves, but it's perilous to hunt them alone. They are a type of tree, and they ensnare anything they touch in tangling vines. While they do little direct harm, they will not release their prey, so many creatures who wander into their grip die of starvation or thirst." As she spoke, Juniper started to move into the woods, beckoning Blackeye to follow her. "I have a pretty good idea of where to find one, since I've hunted them before. We just need to cut a branch from it, not destroy it."
Juniper
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Darkeyes hand goes for his beard and thinks for a moment."He has many, the most important is war. As a Cleric of Kor, you are a peacekeeper. Your job is to watch over those who can't defend themselves, children, women, men, and old ones. Wars should be fought by those who started them. But most times that are gods, kings, or lords that are afraid of seeing a battle close. Kor's priests are writing down the war history. That not one side could change it to look better in history. Soldiers that plunder too much or rape women or kill children are hunted down and get condemned." He didn't tell her everything, this would need too much time. He needed his focus here at the hunt.
Wait did she say a tree, this was a joke. Darkeye waited a moment to make sure that this was a joke. He hoped that Juniper would laugh soon. But after a long quiet pause. "This is no joke we hunting a tree, are you serious? I'm starting to love this world, even the plants want to kill you. It's a cruel way to die. Is it a plant then or a creature or both? What can you do with its branch? Are they rare?" He wanted to ask her more questions but this wasn't the right time or place. They were still on a hunt. So Darkeye held back his questions, focused on his sense of the forest.
Juniper listened to Darkeye's explanation solemnly, her face clouding slightly at the mention of war, a subject that always lay heavy on her mind. "I see. Peacekeepers, and those who keep the rules and history of war ... I can admire that. My preference is to avoid war in the first place, of course, but sometimes that isn't possible. Or so it seems."
She couldn't help smiling when Darkeye asked if she were joking, though part of her felt a little stung by his disbelief. "Yes, they're trees, but they can be dangerous. As can many things in Caido ... including the Greatwood itself. As for the branch, the goddess Safrin asked that I acquire it for her, as part of a quest to protect the Greatwood. They're fairly uncommon, and can be hard to find. But I've found them before, so I know where to look."
Juniper
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"Everyone tries to avoid it. War shows the bad side in us. No one can hide it. We kill or get killed, there is nothing good about this." Darkeye watched the nature behind him and tried to hear all that is around them.
"I like Caido a lot. This place where even the plants want to kill you. This will be a good place for training. Who is Safrin? I'm sorry that I ask, but I want to understand this place better. Protect it from what? If it is possible, can I have a branch for myself? I want to understand that tree better." Such a strong wood would be a great weapon too.
Juniper nodded. "War brings ruin, but ... there are those who will push for it anyway." A certain bitterness entered her voice; she couldn't help but keep in mind that those primarily pushing for war in Caido right now were the gods, who wouldn't have to fight and die in it. "It seems unavoidable at the moment -- an Oracle prophesied that war would come soon. I've almost resigned myself to the idea that all we can do is try to finish it quickly."
Darkeye's words made Juniper smile. Well, that was certainly a different perspective than she'd ever heard before. "I'm glad you like it. Don't worry about asking; I'm glad to explain. Safrin is the goddess of the stars, the herald of Vi, the god of life -- each of the greater gods here has a herald, a lesser god who serves their will. Since we will soon be at war, we've asked Safrin to make sure our enemies can't enter the Greatwood via portal. She needs the wicker woman branch, among other things, to fulfill that goal. As for getting one for yourself -- you're welcome to it, if we can. But I don't know if you'll find it useful. I don't know if I've ever heard of someone making a weapon from a wicker woman."
As they moved through the forest, Juniper kept an ear out, too -- which is how she heard the thrashing of a creature nearby, the same sign that had led her and Deimos to the last wicker woman she'd hunted. Gesturing for Darkeye to follow, she flew cautiously towards the sound.
Juniper
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Darkeye was focused to protect his and her back from any danger behind them. "So there is an oracle here too. Most of them in my world talk garbage. And for that coming war, you don't need an oracle to see that it starts soon. Even I see that it is coming and I've been here for maybe a week. Quickly will be only one solution but no one will do that." In his mind there was a solution. Darkeye didn't want to say it but it was in his mind.
Darkeye tried to mentally keep up with Juniper. "So there are lesser gods, interesting, and they do the less important stuff? The portals, who created them? Then I hope that we find one soon. That your land is saved."
When Juniper gestured for him to follow, Darkeye immediately started to breathe quietly and changed his movement. He followed Juniper. Darkeye was ready to strike if she would say so.
Juniper couldn't help the quick, ironic smile that passed over her face. "Well, I would actually appreciate it if this Oracle were garbage ... Though their prophecy may be self-fulfilling in the end. Now that they've declared war will come, all efforts at peace have stalled."
She considered Darkeye's questions. "I don't know that the heralds' actions are less important so much as ... more down-to-earth. The greater gods don't really concern themselves with mortal problems, but if you take an offering to a shrine, you can usually get a herald to listen to your needs and perhaps even help."
The topic of the portals made her expression turn a bit sour. "The Voice created the portals. Have you heard of the Voice?" There was, of course, a lot that Juniper could say on that topic, but she wanted to know where to begin.
Juniper's instincts were right; she sighed to see the vines coming from a gnarled tree curling tighter and tighter around an eagle as the bird struggled to take off. The raptor's every motion just entangled it further.
Juniper
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Darkeye smiled a bit as she talked. "Then we must try our best. I heard from many that they are not interested in a war. But gods want it. So they will do anything that this will happen. I can only say that most oracles only say what you want to hear. And that is no true soothsaying." But Darkeye knew what she said, now that a holy person said that the war was coming, all were more willing to fight.
Darkeye listened for a moment, was there something? Maybe the sound of a bird but he wasn't sure. "So they are the bond between the mortals and the gods, interesting. I think I will try that soon. Is there a god that claims the war domain?" Maybe there was one. Otherwise, there would be one soon.
"That thing did that. Yes, I heard about her. I heard much about her. But I'm not a fan of her. Maybe when the hunt is over we can talk about this." Darkeye wanted to say so much about the Voice. But now was not the right time.
Darkeye turned around to check why Juniper stopped. Then he saw it. A cruel way to die. No one deserved that. Quietly Darkeye said to Juniper "What now?"
Juniper nodded, but her lips twitched at Darkeye's description of oracles. The Oracle who'd spoken of war had said exactly what Juniper didn't want to hear. Did that mean she was likely truthful? "It's hard to see how mortals can resist the gods when they have their minds set on something. Even when that something is a war we don't want."
A war god? Hmm ... "For all the current strife, I don't think Caido has ever been a very martial place. We don't have a war god. You might want to try to speak to Ludo, the herald of Mort -- Mort is the god of death. Ludo, his herald, prefers games and tricks to battle. Even if I understand that Ludo is quite hostile to the Ascended ..."
Again Juniper nods. "Yes, I'd be interested to hear your take on the Voice. I can't say I care for her either, of course."
Biting her lip, Juniper said, "We could try to free the eagle, but we might only injure it more in the process -- not to mention placing ourselves at risk of being entangled. Or we could give it a merciful death, and keep on with our mission to claim the wicker woman's branches. Which would you advise?"
Juniper
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"Not all people have the strength to think for themselves when it comes to war. They only hear the gods demand this and that. But our soul is still what is ours. We still have to be able to look at ourselves in the mirror. If we cant do that, we are lost. I only heard that the gods want this war. I'm proud of the people who try to resist the order of the gods. Because this war is stupid." Darkeye looked around, still trying to find that tree.
Darkeye was a little angry. "I'm not an Ascended." Darkeye took a deep breath, to calm himself down. "I will soon try to speak with Ludo. Thank you for your advice." How would it be to talk to a different god than Kor.
Darkeye looked around to give himself a summary of that situation. " We could split up, I save the eagle and you get the branch. Or we could do both options together. I want to save the eagle. But I understand if your task has priority for you. It's your task, you decide." Darkeye loved most creatures, but this was a decision that she had to make.
