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!
With many places of the Grounds now familiar to her, Lilliane decided that it was time to give the temple a visit. It had been a while since she last visited a religious building of some kind. In the past, she hadn't been very religious. But back then, there hadn't been gods actually talking to people. Or giving them quests. Or starting wars.
On her little walk through the temple, she also came across a board with several notes on it. Intrigued, she stopped and took a look at some of the notes on it. If anything, it could give her a better understanding of the Grounds. Though upon reading one of them, her brows furrowed in surprise. "Hm... that's strange..." she muttered to herself, reading through the note once again.
i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent
There’s something nostalgic, but in a separate way, of Sunjata’s visit to the temple. Typically he’d arrive here on the heels of offering some prayer to Safrin, but that had been years ago. Back before he’d moved to Torchline and ruled for a time, before he’d stepped down and moved to the wilds of King’s End to get away from it all. And now? With whatever happened in Stormbreak that he’s unaware of thus far, he finds himself at the Temple, biding his time in the Grounds until Nate’s hopeful return.
He takes notice of the shorter woman, the demigods stature drawing him up a foot taller than her. But he doesn’t intend to comment toward her, not until he hears her utter – a feat made easier with one of the sets of earrings in his ears. The gilded hEARS making it much easier to register whispers and mutterings. The other set of earrings, though, dangle and are silver, hovering a few inches above his tattooed and scarred shoulders.
Sunjata, however, has always been relatively extroverted, finding himself drifting toward her and the notice board with interest. “What’s strange?” He asks, leaning in to read the recent notice board posts, trying to pinpoint which was the strangest on it for the stranger.
so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Focused on her own thoughts, Lilliane was quite surprised when she heard someone talk to her. Maybe because of this, she reacted with a "Huh? Um, hi." At first, startled, but then giving Sunjata a slight smile. "I was wondering about one of the notes here." And saying this, she gestured towards the post of Overseer Lockwood about the flowerbirth deity. "I've been told about the old gods and their heralds, as well as the Voice and the Core. But I've never been told that there are more deities than that." She paused for a moment, looking at the note once again, before looking back at Sunjata. "Flowerbirth is one of the seasons here, right? So are there deities for the seasons?"
Once another moment had passed, Lilliane gave Sunjata another, this time apologetic smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bombard you with questions. I hope I didn't disturb you in prayer or something important. I'm Lilliane, by the way. Nice to meet you."
i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent
He hadn’t intended on taking her by surprise, but she doesn’t flinch away from his presence after she expands on her findings. It’s a good sign and Sunjata draws up a bit to give her some amount of space while also looking at the notice board post that she points out. It’s something that Maeve had mentioned, a bit more detail than was listed here. “Ah.” His accented voice rumbles, before he casts a steel glance back down toward Lilliane as she apologizes and he flashes her a charming smile, one admittedly lopsided given the scar tissue from half glasgow smile scarring on his right half of his mouth.
“You’re not interrupting me. I’m close enough with my god I could probably get away without indulging in prayer every day.” To this he flashes her a wink. “I’m Sunjata. Pleased to meet you as well.” But they’re not totally here for introductions. She’d asked him questions and they’re at the very least ones that the Flood can answer. “As far as I’m aware they’re like… Lesser deities. Still powerful but don’t have the status that the heralds or the big gods do. So far, there’s Tanau who’s the Longheat god, Eirachi that’s the goddess of Deepfrost, and the Mathair who’s the goddess of Leafchange.” His head tilts slightly as his gaze lands back on the notice board. “And then there’s this one. We’re supposed to go and water him, I hear.” A scarred shoulder rises and falls in a shrug as he leans back, out of the space of the notice board, and out of hovering distance of Lillaine, his gaze returning to her should she have any follow up questions.
so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Lilliane looked at Sunjata inquisitively for a moment. Was the mention of being close to his god a hint at him being a demigod, or was it just meant the way it was said? Either way, this was not what she had meant to talk about. And asking might be rude as well. "I wonder if they'd be annoyed to be called 'lesser'," she said with a chuckle. Some might not take such a thing well.
Her expression turned into a thoughtful one while she crossed one arm in front of her and placed the hand of the other on her chin, thinking. "What makes them lesser than the heralds or the big gods then? Because they're weaker? Or because of some reason within the cosmos?" Her brows furrowed slightly.
i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent
A rumbling chuckle slips from the Flood’s lips, a shoulder rising and falling in the start of his makeshift answer. “Does anyone like being called lesser?” He asks, though it’s a rhetorical question. “I suppose it’s up to how they view themselves. I’ve never met any of them to be able to tell.” But the stories he’s heard of some of them were enough to suggest they likely weren’t a huge fan.
Her follow up question has him thinking, however, the gears spinning in his head as his steel gaze glances back to the notice board. “Well, there are tiers. You have the heralds and what they’re good at, but they’re pieces of their… Bigger counterpart. Safrin, for example, is the herald to the god of life, and yet she is the goddess of the stars. It’s a part to make up the whole.” He refrains from adding her vanity, her ruthlessness, her cunningness, her manipulative tendencies. “So by extension, each of these deities are only in charge of the seasons. Though I wonder if that puts them below Frey, who’s below Rae.” A dark brow rises as his gaze returns to the Accepted. “I’m an Outlander myself, so I only have the few years I’ve been here to go off of for understanding any of this.” He flashes her another small and amused smile.
so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
It was indeed unlikely that anyone would like to be called lesser than something else. Lilliane furrowed her brows again. "I see..." She hadn't thought of the heralds as a part of the whole of their gods. It made sense. "That does bring up the question, however, why were these specific parts chosen? Life encompasses many things, so why is starlight the part of the whole which is connected to his herald?" A question probably nobody except for the gods themselves would be able to answer.
"Linking the seasons to nature seems logical at first," she said with a slight nod. "But I think they aren't connected entirely to Rae and Frey. Because if you take the seasons as a whole, and think of the changing seasons, they are also relevant to life and death. Things grow and animals get born when certain seasons arrive. And at the same time, with the arrival of a new season, many plants wither, their seeds waiting for the next chance to grow."
Smiling slightly at Sunjata mentioning that he is an Outlander as well, Lilliane said: "I feel like no matter how many years I'll be here, I won't understand all of this entirely." Then again, not even the people who were born in Caido seemed to understand everything that was going on.
i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent
“Who knows.” Sunjata agrees with a soft sigh, a shake of his head. He hasn’t thought that in depth about it, realizing early on that it was far more headache than it was worth. In a way, it was better and easier to take them at face value. It was what it was, that was that.
She brings up a good point though and he finds his gaze drifting back to her as he rolls back on his heels. “I suppose that’s true, too. Each does have its own little… Event, as it is. Flowerbirth has their own festivals that celebrate Frey and Rae. Longheat has its attachment to Safrin – events where you offer gifts and prayer to Safrin to return despite the nights getting shorter. And of course, Leafchange, with the Festival of Lights which is memoriam for those lost.” Deepfrost? Well, that was somewhat a combination of them all. Nights are longer and nature has its quiet death to become reborn in Flowerbirth.
“Hopefully you won’t have to understand it too much.” The Flood murmurs, flashing her a toothy grin. “How long have you been in Caido?” He asks, a small little segway into feel free to ask any questions you need to, from one outlander to another.
so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Who knew indeed. Certainly not the two of them, it seemed. Instead, Lilliane decided to focus more on the seasons and other topics. "I've heard about the Festival of lights. What other events are there?" She furrowed her brows slightly. "I would have expected gifts to Sarfin when she returns, instead of pre-emptively. Though I guess it also makes sense this way around." To be fair, many religions had this way of offering in hopes of things turning better, she thought while she shrugged.
"Well, I have a tendency to over-analyze," Lilliane said with a smile. At least when it came to people and their motives for doing things. "I think it's been roughly three months. I didn't pay attention to the date during the first few weeks, though."
i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent
Sunjata settles in a bit, rocking onto the balls of his heels as he fixes his gaze to LIlliane with the question she poses. “I imagine it’s more of an… Attempt to get Safrin to return after the longest day of the year. She’s…” He huffs a small sigh and offers an apologetic smile. “She’s quite vain.” (And manipulative and protective and terrible and awful and he’d thought she’d loved him but he doesn’t really know if it was a ploy or not…) He leaves it simple. Vanity. A huge marker for the goddess of the stars. “In Flowerbirth there’s a festival called Fiat Lux. Usually it’s about celebrating the return of life after Deepfrost’s winters and cold have given hardship.” He hums, thinking about the others.
“Deepfrost has LongNight which is a time where there’s no stars, sun, or moon for a couple of weeks. Tradition will vary depending on the region. Here in the Grounds, a lot of it the previous year were spent banishing the monsters that rampaged through the region. In Torchline, for example, it’s a two week holiday of getting drunk and celebrating family.” He shrugs, having been on both sides of it. Obviously preferring the drinking on the beach in Torchline over the murderous, strange monsters. “Longheat has the whole sun event I mentioned earlier. ‘Capturing it’, gift giving, enjoying the warmth and such.” He offers another small shrug before moving on, waiting to see if she has anything she wants to ask a question on.
When it comes to over-analyzing, Sunjata doesn’t find it to be an issue. It’s something he likely should have started doing long before, as well. “It’s difficult to catch up to time if the place you came from did things differently.” He’s well acquainted with that, having to figure out which was which when it came to months versus what he previously dealt with. “Sounds like you’re still a fresh arrival, though.” To this it’s another crooked smile, a hint boyish and playful.
so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Surprised, Lilliane raised an eyebrow. "Vain? In what way?" This was the first time she heard something bad about one of the gods on a personal level. Of course, both sides in the coming war had spoken about how the other side did bad things. But this was something different.
When it came to the explanations of the festivals, Lilliane nodded, a worried expression on her face. "Are the monsters still an issue? I heard different things from different people. All the way from they are gone to they are worse than ever." She furrowed her brows slightly. "Also, why do they only come out during that time?"
A slight smile appeared on Lilliane's face. "I guess I'll still be a fresh arrival for a while." And she shrugged. At least she would probably feel like one for quite some time. "If you don't mind me asking, what was the world you came from like?"
i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent
She asks him to elaborate and Sunjata swallows, unsure whether it’s a can of worms he wants to give or one that she’s prepared for. So instead, he frowns slightly, tilts his head, looks away from the freshly arrived Accepted, and hums a soft laugh. “I think the most important thing to her is how people view her. She wants to be worshipped, chosen above all the rest. And if you don’t or you betray her, just… Don’t.”
He's been there. He’s done that. He’s lucky he’s still breathing.
“The monsters aren’t an issue anymore, no. And I think they come out during that time because they’re not… Accustomed to the amount of light from even the moon and stars. They were early Ascended, so, the Ascended worked to get rid of them.” And it was one of the longest few weeks of Sunjata’s life, followed by just another traumatic event for him.
His gaze drifts back to her curiously, though, when she offers a slight smile and agrees that she’ll likely be a fresh arrival for some time. “Quite different.” He begins, heaving a soft sigh and flashes her a brighter smile. “Lots of rain, flooding, much more technology than here has. Huge, bustling cities.” It’s a hint nostalgic as it drips from his accented voice, but he falls quiet immediately after and lets his gaze linger on her. “What about yours?”
so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
For a moment, Lilliane remained silent, brows furrowed in thought. Then she nodded. "I see. Since she is the herald of life, this actually makes a lot of sense. I think." Whether it was a good or bad personality trait for a god was another question entirely. And one Lilliane didn't intend to dwell on.
"I'd say that's a good thing then." Lilliane let her gaze wander for a moment, taking in the surroundings. "One more step for the Grounds to become a place where people can live comfortably, instead of having to focus on survival." Although it was still far from achieving this. But every step in the right direction was a good one, right?
Lilliane chuckles slightly. "More technology and huge, bustling cities fit the world I am from as well." She tilted her head slightly, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Aside from that, I think the best description would be a place where everything seems really close, yet far away at the same time."
i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent
“Mmm, in a way it does.” Sunjata agrees, heaving a quiet sigh at the idea of Safrin yet again, refraining from letting anything slip from the mask he’s so carefully crafted of just what the thought of the starry goddess inspires in him. So instead, he focuses on the comment of the Ascended, of the monsters that have been banished as far as he’s been made aware of, his head bobbing in agreement at the idea of focusing on living instead of surviving.
That was the entire goal, was it not? “Many of the people in the Grounds lived in a barrier, kept from the outside world for centuries. It’s all been about comfort rather than survival now that the barrier is gone.” But Sunjata doesn’t entirely know what those times were like, with the barrier surrounding the Grounds. He’d arrived shortly after it had fallen, when the Greatwood was fresh and sparkling new, and storms blocked everyone from exploring the rest of the world.
His steel gaze finds her face when she mentions that she’s from a similar place, a small smile twisting up on the corner of his scarred lip. “Ah, relatable.” He rumbles with a soft chuckle, moving to lean his shoulder against the notice board, arms crossed along his chest, his right hand and arm completely covered in lines of lightning scarring. “Connected yet complete strangers.” That was more of his experience. He was rich, back in Korofi. The son of the Arbiter, poised to take the seat next. Only he hadn’t, he’d been a failure in his father’s eyes. He was connected to the world by an image carefully crafted for the outside world to see, yet nobody ever truly got to know him. “Do you miss it? The technology?”
so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
