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!
Unaware of the treachery lurking far beyond mountains, of dangers emboldening, or rampant deaths scouring the surface (other than the Warden’s), the Sword took the opportunity for stillness and serenity. A moment of archaic denizens, where he could stand and stretch and glance towards mountains – revel in summits, breathe amidst the splendor of the frigid wind. A transfiguration of peace, thing he’d always taken for granted in the midst of chaos and bedlam, layered in pieces and pockets of the realm, hidden, tucked away.
By primitive habits, Deimos took to the Citadel wall. First on wings, and then as human again, content in furs, gazing out over the horizon. Below, along the wild tundra, were the tranquil movements of luxere, maneuvering beneath the wide open sun and sky. Multitudes and layers of ice. Measures and incantations lurking beneath the surface. Caverns and Fangs beyond, beyond, beyond, with furtive, secretive lacquer of their own.
Overhead, Belial drifted, content to be back in something resembling home. Nothing official, but scattered, until other political ties were made. Zuriel made her own sanctity below, pawing through the snow, finding weeds nestled against the stones.
So there he sat – momentary relief chiseled into the parts of his soul that remembered those emotions.
it's not the waking, it's the rising It's the fire it ignites
I feel the pages turning, I see the candle burning down before my eyes
Like Deimos, Noah had spent the day reacquainting himself with the world he had known so well. Unlike the Sword, however, the Sentinel found himself meeting with the people he once fed, the soldiers he grew up alongside, checking in at the market, and making sure that the people knew he had returned -- for them.
Finally, when he was exhausted from the extroverted nature of what he had chosen to do, Noah took to his own walk along the perimeter wall. The looming figure of the once-general was hard to miss, and Noah wasted no time in closing the distance between them. He could spend his whole day meeting with people and helping meet needs, and feel exhaustion in his bones, but a conversation (or, even being in silent company with one another) with Deimos never felt exhausting.
"It feels weird, doesn't it?" He broke the silence, lifting a brow to the Sword as he neared his side.
He hadn’t been ready to venture deep into the reaches of the Citadel – not yet. A part of him would always be an Outlander, and though he’d done a great amount of good for this world, he’d also stoked a fine amount of mistakes. So he’d wandered, ventured into the barracks, bit his tongue down on things he yearned and craved to say to those still within, or itching to snag at broken remnants, refurbish, fix, because at some point he didn’t believe it was his place.
But staring into the vast scene, surrounded and pervaded by snow, by the angles of worlds and whims he understood, had anointed and felt like home. It clawed and nestled its way, lodged and immersed, and he didn’t want to forgo the fierce wind or ferocious gales, the unfurling midst or the icy vestiges. A moment taken before everything else breathed down their necks.
Noah’s appearance nearby already broke him out of the repose for an instant, the vaguest tilt of his head flickering in the other man’s direction. His brow gave its own signature arch, before he permitted a light smile to pierce through. “Like I took a lot for granted,” in truth – perhaps not cherishing it enough. Believing it’d always be there. “Or that all our work came to fruition from…,” he yielded to silence. Morgan’s death? Happenstance?
it's not the waking, it's the rising It's the fire it ignites
when the sky turns gray and everything is screaming
"I understand that." Noah nodded his own agreement, understanding the morbidity behind all of the circumstances that one did not have to look too hard to find. "There are a few things that have happened that have been too much for letters." Noah sighed.
"Cian had this book. It was touched by the gods in a way that gave him knowledge about things happening in the world that otherwise he wouldn't have knowledge of. When Cian was killed by the Voice, Wessex looted his body and took the book. I'm assuming she also has a compass that can take her to any political place in Caido, as well." He lifted a brow to Deimos, and then shifted his weight and placed himself on a thick, safe part of the wall before shifting.
I think it is best we communicate like this for now. Surely Deimos would agree -- this was the only way Noah could think to hide the information he had from the eye of the ascended. I'm not sure the scope of the information that comes to the book, or the details of it, but I am sure that the ascended will know if the vote for Warden turns in our favor. Deimos, if I am voted in, I would like you to join me in arms as the General of Halo once more.
i will reach inside just to find my heart is beating
No time for those nuances it seemed, and any of the vulnerability brimmed and quelled away for the state of other notions. He tucked the barrage of emotions away, staring out over the vast world again, alight and renewed with the press of the autumn sun, listening all the while to the way the realm had played out around them once more.
Cian, a man he’d heard miniscule measures about, gone and dead, Wessex looting, taking something with the knowledge and sagacity of far too much. Something like apprehension and dread started in the pit of his stomach, for the sentences to follow, for the things they’d already seen and been put against. For what was to come – and more specifically, what might spell and spill out for Halo. So she could simply come here at any time, and wreak havoc again. His jaw feathered, teeth tightly clenched, not daring to glance back at the Citadel itself yet.
He didn’t expect the other statement to follow. Maybe it’d been too much time. Maybe he’d been too foolish. Maybe the past mistakes, no matter how much he’d tried to amend them, had come back to haunt him. So it was with widened eyes, and then some muffled laugh, that he nodded. It could’ve been relief too. The ability to snag and contort over something he’d worked so hard to achieve all over again. Of course. Only then, did he chance and spare another look at the world behind them – sworn to protect and uphold. There is much to be done.
it's not the waking, it's the rising It's the fire it ignites
when the sky turns gray and everything is screaming
Yes, she could. He agreed with Deimos' sentiment of worry. It was a tightness in his own chest that he carried, and even as a bear Noah couldn't shake it. Whether or not I regain place was Warden, we need to focus on protecting this place and these people. I want to meet with Frey and find out what we need to do to continue to build the defenses they started in our absence.
Noah shifted and lifted his head to look out over the tundra. It felt grounding to be here, overlooking the place his heart called home. Maeve told me about finding the last seasonal deity, as well. She advised it might be wise to visit him, but he is in the desert. She said he needs water." The bear shifted, the discomfort easy to see in his posture. I am not sure I want to venture away from Halo at all just yet... He paused, shifting again, and turned his eyes back to the warrior, and I am confident I want to rid us of that portal. Because, at least then, it would keep them a little safer.
i will reach inside just to find my heart is beating
The ferocity and trepidation made for a combination of steel, resolve, and apprehension for the people surrounding their threshold. For the probabilities of what they’d experienced before, and could potentially occur again. Let me know of anything else you want to do. I started a list of possibilities. And perhaps they could get things done efficiently, swiftly, with not too much time wasted before Deepfrost settled in.
Which brought another forefront to mind. She told me as well. I can go and return quickly. Then do his part here – snag and snarl at responsibilities, if things went in the direction they sought. His brows furrowed slightly, eyes then shifting over the landscape once more, wandering towards the Fangs, where the portal rested. Do we know how to destroy it? Another inquiry came into mind – though not for him, with his own means of traversing. Or an alternative to travel? I assisted in building a skyport in the Greatwood. Uncertain of the parameters necessary to achieve it in this place, or if it was feasible given political factions, he permitted the idea to rest in between everything else.
it's not the waking, it's the rising It's the fire it ignites
when the sky turns gray and everything is screaming
A skyport would be interesting. I think that would be the right answer for us, I'm just not sure the logistics of how to get that going.because Ronin hadn't written to him yet Because Noah had only ever been on a skyboat, he didn't understand the facets of building one or who even to talk to about it. We will have to ask for help, I am sure, to make that happen. I can reach out to Stormbreak. I'll appreciate your assistance in building one again, if that is something we are able to do. Noah would have been smiling had he been wearing his human face, because he already knew that Deimos would not hesitate to lend a hand to the cause.
As for the portal, the hunter shook his large head. I don't know how to destroy it, but I want to. Maybe Vi or Safrin will answer me and help with it. I don't like the idea of having our people blocked in here again forever, but with the skyport I would feel better. The instantaneaous arrival of the ascended is what I don't like. We learned that the Voice can take them over. That's how Cian was killed.
i will reach inside just to find my heart is beating
Of course, in accord with assistance and action. Especially if the notions of a sky port would mean easier travel for everyone involved. And then some slight modicum of dread, but he’d been intending to do so anyway, when the right time and ventures came. I can ask Safrin, if you want. Whether or not she’d be receptive was another matter, and he’d be fine with Noah opting to do it himself – the offer there just the same.
At the notions of the Ascended though, was another wrinkle to his nose; a manner of irritation beginning to form a bridge in the bond. I do not think we would be able to stop Wessex anyway, due to her teleporting. The others, certainly, or those lacking such ability. Another option may have had to suffice to combat the Wraith.
Narrowing his eyes again, recalling what he’d heard the priest scream along Torchline’s bazaar, he tilted his head, staring back at Noah. Gideon had proclaimed that in Torchline, though I was not certain if it was true. Or the usual racist remarks from the Order.
it's not the waking, it's the rising It's the fire it ignites
when the sky turns gray and everything is screaming
I wasn't sure it was either, until there was actually sight of it. Noah agreed with Deimos, and though Gideon had been the one to say it in both circumstances, the Sentinel believed him. He wouldn't forget the look in the radicalistic man's eyes. I wrote to Maeve when I took reign, but I am wondering about reaching out to her again to build alliance with her. As a follower of Safrin, I believe that with her with us as well as Stormbreak and the Greatwood, we could be stronger. Even if Halo became a fortress well protected enough to offer refuge to those who could not fight, to those that needed to heal, or to the young, it was enough.
Thank you for everything you are willing to do for these lands, for these people. Loyalty like yours is a gift and a treasure I will never take lightly. Noah lifted dark, bear eyes to the Sword. Full of gratitude and admiration for the stalwart man. We might not be able to stop Wessex from getting in, but if we can stop the rest of her people there is a benefit.
i will reach inside just to find my heart is beating
Were you witness to it? Because the regard and vehemence behind it meant all of them might be at risk, no matter which Ascended they ran into – and the apprehension wasn’t something he could ignore, given Kiada. Given many others. Given the world before them, and the people within it.
At least, and this was pathetic to admit, politics were an easier stretch for the Sword nowadays, and he could tilt his head without the rancor and trepidation behind multitudes of other notions. I already spoke to Maeve about potential alliances, and she was amiable to it. I am not sure about the Greatwood. Considering Remi’s stance – but if it were Noah leading, perhaps the Lullaby would have a different outlook.
His eyes widened at the compliments and consideration though, for he was one of those individuals who always believed himself not worthy of such lines. Deimos did what he had to do – through faults and flaws, through errors and mistakes, through trials and tribulations. But instead of pushing it away, he let it sink over his shoulders for a moment, thinking, mulling, biding his time until his soul seemed to find it acceptable – allowing a light laugh to pervade through the bond. You are welcome. This land, and its people, have done much for me. I only aim to repay the favor. Noah, Cordelia, and everyone else included.
Rounding back to the other notions though, he glanced outward, along the roaming outlines of luxere again. I can ask later in the season. I presume it is not our first priority. Simply an eventuality.
it's not the waking, it's the rising It's the fire it ignites
when the sky turns gray and everything is screaming
The Greatwood could be harder. I only now Remi to be our ally through Ludo. His people, however, the fae, may not be as willing to wage war. They've made it this long without much involvement... The hunter trailed off and shook his massive head. Even if it was only Remi who stood as an ally to protect Halo from the ascended, he was still a good one.
I think it would be a good idea to do that. Noah said, stretching his body some and shifting back to that of a man. "For now, let's prepare to work on the quest from Frey people had started before. When I go to them, I will call on you." Noah nodded the affirmation, and with a pat to Deimos' shoulder, moved down from the position on the wall they took and headed back towards his office. Duty called, after all.
FIN
i will reach inside just to find my heart is beating
