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!
Amun nodded at Darkeye's explanation of his god. Sighing, the potter rubbed the back of his head. "And what would Kor advise you to do against an enemy that can't be reasoned with and desires nothing less than your eradication." He arched an eyebrow at the other man. Still, the Ascended nodded. "I would like to learn."
Slipping his hands into his pockets, he shrugged. "Well then you are not most people." Pressing his lips together, he shook his head. "The gods won't accept it and neither will their followers. And even if the followers could be convinced, the gods are still powerful in their own right."
Picking up tongs with a particularly long and insulated handle, he began adding logs as well. Glancing at it, he poked a few of the pieces of wood into place. As sparks flared up he hopped back until it had settled into place again.
"The price would be as follows, and I know you cannot or will not pay it. You don't have to think of Voice as your supreme goddess anymore but Kor, I think you love your goddess too much to pay that price." Darkeye tried to express this as politically as possible. "If you want to know more, I can tell you some of it, but it will cost you blood, and a fan full of it." Darkeye kept nodding to that. "What kor would do if you can't get anywhere with reason?" he said. "Just wipe them all out, one side as well as the other. Without exception. If both sides are so inconsistent to move towards each other, not one side would live. Kor thinks differently than humans Amun he can be very cruel." Darkeye nodded to the ground at this.
"That's Voice also the three gods to that their heralds were not able to kill them that only someone who is very strong can do. Most people are different only fear and desperation drive them to act similarly" Dakeye smiled.
"Do you fear the fire Amun or why do you always jump back as if it were a beast snapping at you. You seem nervous since the flame is on." Darkeye looked at him closely and thought he saw fear.
Amun arched an eyebrow as Darkeye explained Kor demanded his followers treat him as the top deity. "No can do. Unfortunately, even if I didn't trust her, I am reliant upon the Voice for fluid." Frowning, the potter tilted his head to one side. "And as for blood, again, I don't have that, so I probably can't pay that price either." He snorted.
As the other man explained that Kor would just wipe out everyone involved, the Ascended's eyes narrowed. "Even if one side was fully willing to lay down their arms? That seems pretty extreme, especially since you have repeatedly told me violence shouldn't be met with violence."
Shrugging at Darkeye's comments about all the gods being similar or people being too different, Amun continued to carefully build up the fire from a distance. "Of course I'm afraid of fire. That fluid I was talking about? It's highly flammable. If I catch fire or even just get too hot I will literally explode. Didn't you know that about Ascended?" He shot the other man a glance.
03-16-2022, 06:12 PM (This post was last modified: 03-16-2022, 06:12 PM by Darkeye.)
Blackeye
Not the strongest win the battle —
"That's what I thought so I can't explain it to you. You're just depending on yourself and that's something you need to understand. You decide for yourself to live on under these circumstances. If you want to change that, only you can. You have no blood in you to give me?" Darkeye thought. The first thing that came to his mind was a vampire.
"If there is an innocent side here Amun, and I don't think there is at the moment," he said. "That's why I'm doing everything in my power to prevent it, otherwise all those who are pushing this war forward will have to be killed. That means from what I know so far the old god's Voice and some people who lead attacks or lead attacks on innocent people. Even if they attacked only one person. Because those who attack innocent and harmless people do not understand the value of life. Then only those who want to live in peace will be left and all those who seek blood, murder, or revenge will be wiped out. What is extreme about that? That is why my work is so important because if Kor decides to come to this world, I want to prevent him from raging. Most of the time they lay down their weapons, but then it's too late..." Darkeye said this with hesitation.
"And then you still want to be a potter either you're brave or stupid... Better let me do that with the fire then." Darkeye smiled and carefully tried to push Amun back a little. Not to attack him, but to avoid being blown up himself.
Amun frowned. Shaking his head at Darkeye, the potter pointed at himself. "No, you don't understand. The only source of the fluid running in my veins is the Voice. It doesn't last forever, so every once in a while I need to return to one of her shrines to obtain more." He narrowed his eyes at the other man. "As part of the Ascension process, our biological systems are replaced by mostly inorganic ones. So no, no blood for you." Letting out a huff of air, the Ascended tilted his head to one side.
"Why do you include the Voice in your list of those who need to be wiped out? By doing so you'd be condemning all the Ascended, even the innocent ones, to a slow and cruel death." He arched an eyebrow at Darkeye. "Surely Kor wouldn't condone that, though obviously you know him better than I do."
Snorting, Amun stepped back as the other man shooed him away. "Why not both? Don't worry, I take lots of precautions with my kiln." Still, the potter retreated to a safe distance. Once he was there, he gestured for Darkeye to tend to the flames.
Darkeye looked at him in surprise, "I didn't know that. Forgive me if I had known that, I would never have made such a condition. If you want to know, I will tell you, but it will take blood. So I will give mine, but only if you really want to know." Darkeye drew a dagger and put it to his arm where there were already many scars from previous cuts.
"I don't. I can only interpret how Kor would act if it came to that. I believe in him because he demands the best from us to prevent this. From what I've heard Amun, Voice isn't innocent either. The knowledge is not known to me anyway. I hope it never has to come to that." Darkeye said sincerely.
Darkeye smiled at this statement and just nodded and took care of the fire.
As Darkeye took out a knife and held it over his scarred arm, Amun eyed it. Glancing between the other man and the weapon, the potter shook his head. "Not right now. Maybe at some other time, when we get to know each other better." He let out a huff of air that resembled a laugh, but wasn't quite there.
Sighing, he rubbed his hands over his eyes. "And what of the Ascended, as I asked already? You'd just leave all of us to die by killing the Voice?" Lowering his hands, he stared at the smith for a long moment. Then the Ascended turned to watch the blast furnace to make sure nothing would go wrong with it.
"Another time then Amun." Darkeye just nodded and covered the scarred arm again. He didn't seem disappointed or offended by the comment. He didn't think Amun would come at him again.
"You'd have to find a way. But I don't have all the information I need to make a judgment. I thank you for the things you have told me. I do not intend to kill Voice, you asked what Kor would do and I answered. That is only when my work bears no fruit." Darkeye did not turn to Amun at these words. He let the furnace heat up to the highest temperature before closing the door. Then he watched the outside. The sweat ran in streams from Darkeye.
As the knife disappeared, some tension bled out of Amun's shoulders. He nodded at Darkeye's offer. Arching an eyebrow, the potter tapped his right hand a few times before slipping both hands into his pockets.
Tilting his head to one side at the other man's response, the Ascended frowned. "So you follow Kor's tenets, but would not carry out his will?" He shook his head. "Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to understand you better."
As Darkeye sweated, Amun initiated a system can. The report came back that although he was probably hotter than normal and advisable, he wasn't in any danger of exploding from this distance. "I'm safe, so long as the furnace doesn't blow or anything like that," he reassured the other man.
"I will still pray to Kor today for you the hunt and for so many things to come." Darkeye looked very serious at this. He did not want to leave any doubt.
"I didn't say that. To understand better you would have to come from my world or follow my god. Neither is possible for you. That's why it seemed complicated. I will always follow my god as long as I breathe and blood still flows in my other. I will also do his will, but I need the information you have so willingly given me, thank you. I am still the peace-seeking side of the coin." Darkeye smiled with a macabre grin.
"I'm not worried about you Amun I think voice has a watchful eye on you. It's important to me that the furnace holds. Because if it doesn't, all the work with it is for nothing." Darkeye looked at the furnace, it was a splendor.
Nodding as Darkeye explained that he was still following Kor's tenets of peace rather than war, Amun's lips twitched. "That, at least, I can understand." He inclined his head to the other man. "Thank you for sharing with me."
Still standing a good distance away, the potter shrugged. Rubbing his hands together, he eyed the furnace. "In my mind, since we didn't have a blast furnace to begin with, not having one wouldn't be the biggest loss." Glancing over at Darkeye for a moment, the Ascended arched an eye at the other man. "Hey, any interest in joining the Art-isan's Guild? We could use a smith of your skill." Amun's eyes trailed back to the furnace. "Obviously." Gesturing around at the room, he mustered as much a smile as he could at Darkeye.
"You're welcome Amun and who you want to know more just ask you know the price now." Darkeye smiled again and grinned broadly.
Darkeye smiled broadly when he heard this, but then his gaze turned sad, "If you had asked me that when Bastien was alive, I would have said yes without hesitation. But I can't do it now, I have to think about it, to be honest. I will be traveling a lot and with the current events, I think it is better if I am not associated with you. That's why I have to think about it Amun. I will still use my skills unless it is for the wrong cause. The stove looks good, remember to fire it up nine more times." Darkeye started to pack up his things
Amun nodded at Darkeye's response. "I do," the potter confirmed. His eyes flicked to the other man's arm, which was now covered. However, the Ascended didn't comment further.
As Darkeye polite turned down Amun's offer, he frowned. However, he quickly wiped it from his face, schooling his features into a more neutral position. "I understand, although affiliating with the Guild doesn't mean you are affiliated with me, necessarily, simply with the work we do. And I have no problem with you traveling so long as you continue to smith." Sighing, he shrugged. "I will respect your decision, but the offer will remain open if you change your mind."
Glancing over at the furnace, which was still pouring out heat, he gave the other man a thumbs up. "I will. Thank you, again, for all your help today." The potter bowed slightly to Darkeye, sweeping one arm out to the side.
Darkeye did not see his scars as marks and did not fear to show them. He wore them as if they were signs of rituals and battles he had fought in the name of Kor.
"I can't be neutral then if I put my name in a guild somewhere," he said. "Everyone would think that my actions are no longer neutral but in the name of the guild and its members. I will think about it, but so far a clear no. I am honored by the offer." Darkeye wanted more information before deciding which guild to join. But he would rather join a Monster Hunter guild.
Darkeye did likewise. "As I said, that doesn't mean I can't feel out commissioned work." He was pleased with what they had accomplished today. After bowing, he extended his hand to Amun.
