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!
Ray eyes the entrance to the Labyrinth warily. She's heard the stories about this place, about lost souls and crumbling walls. It's probably not the safest place to be but she's determined to fulfill her quest. She's not sure what Frey has in mind, but if one of he ingredients had taken an entire quest for her to find, it must be something worthwhile.
Squaring her shoulders back and tightening her grip on the pack slung across her shoulders, the herbalist enters the Labyrinth. She hopes she doesn't get lost. Running a hand along the wall as she walks in will hopefully help her at least somewhat keeping track of her path. Getting lost wasn't an option, she had Efas Herbs to collect.
To be honest, Lilliane would have preferred to stick to the safer parts of the Hollowed Grounds. She surely didn't feel ready for ruin exploration yet. But it seemed that she wouldn't have the time to do things slowly. Not after what she had been told recently. She had to get a better understanding of this world.
It was during this exploration that she ended up at the labyrinth. Knowing nothing about it - or that it's said to be even more dangerous than the ruins – she followed the edge of the labyrinth in search of an entrance. When she finally found one, she was surprised to see someone walk into the labyrinth the moment she got sight on the entrance. Well, if she was to enter that Labyrinth, she'd rather do it together with someone else than alone.
Lilliane hurried over to the entrance, hoping that the other person wouldn't be entirely out of sight yet. Or at least close enough to hear her. "Um, hello?" she asked, maybe a bit more nervous than she intended to.
Ray hears the sudden voice and whips around, eyes shifting to that of her panther form to take in more of the dim light. As her eyes focus on the woman and her somewhat nervous demeanor, the herbalist relaxes. Her eyes return to normal, and she gives the newcomer a warm smile, "Hello."
Ray hadn't been expecting to run into anyone, but she wasn't upset about it. "Were you planning to enter the Labyrinth too? I'm hoping to collect some of the herbs inside." Maybe she could convince this woman to join her? Trekking through a dark maze alone sounded far less appealing then going with someone else.
The herbalist held out her hand in greeting, "I'm Ray."
When Lilliane saw Ray whip around and stare at her, she took a step back reflexively. With Demigods and the likes walking this world, she wasn't even sure whether she would be able to defend herself, but she would definitely try. Though with Ray relaxing shortly after, there didn't seem to be imminent danger and Lilliane relaxed as well. "In a way, yes. I saw the Labyrinth and was curious. But I wasn't really sure whether I would dare to go in alone." The last part was said with an embarassed smile and a little shrug. "I was wondering if we might go into the labyrinth together?"
"I'm Lilliane." she said with a warm smile, taking Rays hand for a gentle handshake.
Ray smile grows when Lilliane introduces herself, "Good to meet you." Eyeing the Labyrinth, she gives a short nod. "I'd love the company honestly. I'm a bit nervous about going in there too. But I have to collect Efas Herbs for my quest, and this is one of the best places to find them apparently." Stating that she was on a quest might not be the most advisable choice. But given that the quest was for a healing item and not a weapon of war, the Attuned figures it's safe enough.
Rolling her shoulders back, Ray takes the first few steps into the Labyrinth, her eyes automatically shifting into her panther counterpart. It's dark as expected and she'd rather see where she's going.
"I see..." Lilliane nodded. "If you tell me what they look like, I can keep an eye out for them too." After all, she hadn't come here with an objective in mind, so she might as well help out with Rays while they were in here.
It was only as she followed Ray the first steps into the Labyrinth that she realised just how much light the hedges blocked out. If this continued, she'd have to focus more on her hearing to augment the dim outlines of what she saw. Not something she was entirely unused to, though it had been a while since she had been somewhere without a lightswitch or streetlamps. "Do you have some kind of light source with you, by any chance? I case it gets even darker deeper into the maze."
Ray gives a small nod, "That'd be awesome, thank you. It's a rather strange herb. It has small green stalks and at the top of each is a little cluster of brown protrusions." She hums in thought, "Kind of like a handful of seeds held on little green stick?" It's a bit difficult to describe but she does her best.
The Attuned doesn't even process how dark it is, having shifted on instinct. "Oh shoot, sorry. I do." Ray reaches into her bag and pulls out a torch and a flint stone. Striking it a few times, the torch ignites, casting shadows and light across their path. She hands the torch to Lilliane, "Here. This should help."
Lilliane furrrowed her brows slightly, trying to remember the description. "Okay, I'll keep an eye out for something like that." A handful of seeds held on a little green stick was, surprisingly, a more helpful explanation than the in-depth explanation before.
With a smile, Lilliane took the torch. "Thanks." She'd have to remember taking something similar with her the next time she went exploring. Though she didn't even know how to ignite a fire with flint. Maybe she'd ask someone to show it to her later.
Continuing on into the maze and keeping an eye out for the aforementioned herb, she asked: "If you don't mind me asking, are you an Ascended? Since you're able to see in the dark." Or was this something you didn't ask strangers? She looked over to Ray, slightly worried that this might have been a rude question. "I'm sorry if that's something you don't ask like that, you don't have to answer if you don't want to." she added.
"Thank you." Ray was thankful to have another set of eyes helping her out. Despite partially shifting, there were enough nooks and crannies where an herb could be hiding. It' be easier to accomplish her goal with Lilliane's help.
Making their way through the Labyrinth, Ray pauses when her companion spoke. Glancing over with a gentle smile, the herbalist shook her head. "I'm not. I'm actually an Attuned." She flashed her panther eyes for a moment, "I'm just partial shifting to help me see." The second part of the question is a bit more complicated and the herbalist shrugs slightly.
"Honestly, it depends on who you're asking. Some people would rather keep what they are a secret, for personal reasons or even safety. I guess... maybe be careful about asking? Especially if they might be an Ascended. It could put them in danger." Ray paused before continuing, "So consider where you are when you ask. Alone is probably best regardless of the situation."
Lilliane nodded when she heard that explanation. "I see. With tensions being high between different groups of people, it makes sense that some don't want to disclose what they are. Especially if that would mark them as part of one side of the conflict." She stopped for a moment, thinking she saw the herb Ray had described earlier. But after a closer look, she realized it wasn't the same.
"If you don't mind, what does being an Attuned entail? So far, I've only heard that they are followers of the old gods. Most of my sources have been one-sided so far." The last part was accompanied by an apologetic shrug. She was thinking of adding the usual 'I'm new here', but it was probably evident by the questions she asked.
Ray smiled softly, pleased that the other woman had picked up the concept quickly, "Exactly." Things were complicated at the moment and societal norms were shifting as such. The herbalist imagined that it was an incredibly confusing time for an Outlander to arrive in Caido. She noted the same herb and hoped that it meant that they were getting close.
Lilliane's questions aren't' too much of a surprise. Ray had suspected that her companion was an Outlander from her prior questions. The herbalist was more than willing to answer. "You can be a follower of the Old Gods without being an Attuned, same goes for following the New and not being an Ascended. Well... if you're an Accepted that is. If you're an Attuned or Ascended, you've chosen your side." Usually at least.
Ray hummed, trying to figure out the best way to describe her race. "Attuned are those who have further connected themselves to Caido's Old Gods and the world itself. We gain the ability to shapeshift into just about any animal we wish. Only one shift at first of course, but as you grow as an Attuned, you gain more. I can shift into a panther, a type of viper, and a shangyang bird. I can shift fully or only partially." Flashing her panther eyes as a demonstration Ray added, "See? I can change my normal eyes to that of a panther. It's very useful."
As they continued deeper into the maze, Ray glanced at Lilliane, "Do you have any other questions? I'm happy to answer any that I can. About Caido or anything really."
After listening to Ray's explanation, Lilliane smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad about any explanation I can get." So far, she was lucky to have met people who were always ready to explain a bit to her. "I feel like I have thousands of questions, but actually formulating them and asking them is really difficult," she said with a slight shrug.
For a moment, Lilliane stayed quiet to think. There were always the questions about the looming war, of course. But right now, she didn't want to go to that topic yet again. Nodding to herself as she found a topic, she continued: "Can you tell me more about the old gods? I know that there are three gods. Standing for life, death, and nature. And that they have heralds. But what are they like?" If there was someone who could explain this to her, it was one of their followers, right?
"I understand. I imagine it's a lot to take in." Ray paused, giving her companion the time to formulate her questions. The confusion Outlander's must feel was beyond her comprehension. She was glad to help in what little way she could. The herbalist paused as they walked, eagerly bending down. "Here's some Efas Herb!" The herbalist took out a bag and began to harvest the plants as she listened to Lilliane ask her questions.
Answering as she worked, Ray explained, "There are three main Old Dods. Vi, the God of Life, Mort the God of Death, and Rae the God of Nature. Each God has a herald. Safrin, the herald of Vi is the Goddess of stars. Mort's herald Ludo is the one who collects souls and brings them to Mort."
Ray paused to carefully extract a particularly stubborn herb. Taking a breath she continued, "Frey is Rae's herald, and they have two aspects. One being nature, and the other being sexuality. Rae themselves usually appears as a set of twins so it kind of makes sense that their herald would have two aspects."
The herbalist hummed, "And there's also Caido. The God of all, or the God of Gods if you will. No one knows much about them but it's rumored that they are in the Draig Cordillera." Another rush of information and names that Lilliane would have to know. Getting a crash course on an entire world's history, culture, and even the wildlife had to be exhausting.
When Ray exclaimed that she had found some Efas Herb, Lilliane walked over and took a closer look at it. It seemed like they were in the right area. Lilliane watched Ray for a moment, checking if she used any special tools or techniques to harvest the herb. It might come in handy sometime.
She nodded along to Ray's explanations. "Does that mean Rae is actually two gods? Or is it one god that can manifest two bodies?" Meanwhile, she crouched down next to Ray to help her with the harvesting. "And is there a reason why stars are associated with life?"
