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!
cause it makes me that much stronger makes me work a little bit harder
Clang.
Smash.
Hiss.
Those sounds reverberated through the forge. The only light came from the fire ever burning in the furnace and the weapon, which glowed red hot, being shaped on the anvil.
Luciana's brow was furrowed, eyes narrowed, lips pinched. Her eyes were bloodshot, but if anyone asked her she'd tell them it was from the smoke. Even now, it writhed around the area, more alive than the wooden looking Hammer.
She flipped the sword she was working on and brought her hammer down once more with what some might call excessive and unnecessary force. The blade already looked brutal and sharp, but anyone watching could see her dissatisfaction writ large upon her features. Another series of sounds filled the air, covering up anything and anyone else in the world.
Clang.
Smash.
Hiss.
it makes me that much wiser so thanks for making me a fighter
Ever, young as he was, had only a cursory understanding of what was going on. He'd heard both of his parents talking about it in whispered voices when they thought he was asleep, and though eavesdropping was rude, there was little he could do about overhearing them while he laid wide-awake in his bed. It, of course being the fact that Cian had been killed, decapitated, and now the Order was running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
With sleepy blue eyes and messy curls, the young attuned navigates the traffic of the plaza best as he can. Tasked today with picking up some medical equipment from Luciana for his mother, Ever struggles to find a happy medium between efficiently getting through the throng of citizens while not being rude about it.
The bright tang! tang! of the anvil makes Ever jump slightly with each beat making it seem as though he had some very predictable twitch. 'Uhm—' He calls out, looking both apprehensive and a touch out of place. 'Hello? I am looking for The Hammer.'
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
cause it makes me that much stronger makes me work a little bit harder
As the child's voice rang out behind her, Luciana threw a wild look over her shoulder. Staring at the boy, she blinked a few times, mouth slightly agape. Shaking her head, she grunted. "You found 'er. What do you want?" She turned back to her work before he had a chance to respond.
Hammering out a few more blows, she took a deep breath. Nodding, she wrapped up her hands in rags and grasped the end of the sword that wasn't currently glowing with heat. Walking over to a nearby barrel, she plunged it into the water there. Steam hissed as tendrils of it curled up from the surface where hot metal met cold liquid.
it makes me that much wiser so thanks for making me a fighter
"Uhm. I.." Pulling in a breath only to find the urge to cough out the harsh heavy air, Ever chokes back the urge to dry-heave. "..I am here to pick up the tools made for Doctor October Hart." He replies as confidently as he's able, which as it happens, isn't very confidently at all.
Watching the Hammer move was like watching a tiger. She seemed all dark hair and sleek muscle beneath tight skin, which made the boy want to run away or become very small and still. His curiosity would always be larger than his fear though, and so as Lucianna thrusts the blade into the cold water, Ever's mind immediately sets to work to try and figure out why. "Does...the steel ever crack?" He wonders in a low voice. "From being cooled so quickly..?"
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
cause it makes me that much stronger makes me work a little bit harder
When the metal wasn't glowing anymore, Luciana pulled the sword out of the barrel. Taking a cloth, she wiped it down before setting it aside. Nodding at the child's words, she walked into a corner and grabbed a bag. Pausing, she moved towards a shelf and rummaged in it before pulling out a sprig of mint.
Moving towards Everest, she thrust both out toward him. "Here. Chew on that. And these are the tools." She jiggled the bag slightly and the contents rattled.
Shrugging at his question, she shook her head. "Rarely." Grunting, she gestured at the weapon she'd just worked on. "Did you see it glowing before?" Walking towards the furnace, she checked her hand wraps before thrusting an iron rod into the flames. "Metal heats up and cools down with no problem."
it makes me that much wiser so thanks for making me a fighter
Torn between the ever-present need to be polite and the sudden clenching of his stomach at the prospect of putting something in his mouth from a stranger, it's with slightly apprehensive fingers that Ever reaches out for the sprig of mint. "Thank you." He mumbles, looking at the green shoot, saying a silent prayer, and then putting it tentatively in his mouth.
Pulling the mint out of his mouth as soon as the subject changed (Ever was fairly certain he could feel bacteria on it, having already imagined a thousand spiders crawling up and down the stem), he nods. "Yeah. Bright orange, then red." Watching the Hammer at work, the boy's lips part slightly as he watches. "That's...surprising." He whispers, more to himself than to Luciana. "Not many other substances can undergo such a quick change like that, and retain their strength." Then, ever aware of his ignorance, he tilts his head apologetically. "..can they?"
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
cause it makes me that much stronger makes me work a little bit harder
Grunting at the boy's thanks, Luciana shrugged. Not watching (or caring) if he actually ate the mint or not, she turned the rod in the furnace slowly. If she'd been hammering something, she would've missed the boy's comment. The question, though, was audible enough.
"Depends," she responded as she pulled the iron out of the fire. She inspected the tip a few times, then shook her head and shoved it back in. "Each material has different properties."
Pausing, she glanced over her shoulder at the child. "Most metals can. Glass can't. Ceramic is in the middle of the two. Crystals and gems are a mixed bag." She jerked her chin at him. "Who taught you about all that?"
it makes me that much wiser so thanks for making me a fighter
Ever might have remained all afternoon, were it not for the voice of his father calling out from the crowd. Flushing, the boy frowns. "Sorry...I have to go. But it was...well, books that taught me." He explains with a rather boyish shrug. 'I like to read.' Ever adds, as if something about his explanation needed to be qualified.
"Thanks for making these. And for the mint." Grabbing his mother's tools, it's with a bright and genuine smile that the boy grins up at the Hammer, before pushing himself back out into the street to meet up with his father.
~FIN.
But if the song never stopped, it wouldn't have any magic So even though it's gotta end, I'll keep singing along
