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!
03-13-2022, 07:37 AM (This post was last modified: 03-13-2022, 08:44 AM by Darkeye.)
DARKEYE
Darkeye had received a lot of information recently and it was time for him to talk to one side of the war. He collected a beautiful Onix and shaped the stone into a beautiful pearl black as night and placed it in front of the shrine of Voice. "Voice Greetings, I would like to know more and have done what I thought was right so far, I hope you will grant me an audience and take the time to talk to me. I have questions that I think only you can answer." Darkeye didn't know if he was being heard, but he wouldn't whisper or shout the conversation.
"So rarely do Accepted come to my shrine, these days."
The Voice appears before Darkeye, her body sparking with electricity. She smiles as she gazes down at his offering. "How beautiful." She runs a finger over the pearl.
"I can only imagine how much you have heard. What questions do you have?" The Voice asks. "Perhaps I can put your mind at ease."
Darkeye didn't expect Voice to show up, so he was surprised to see the flashes forming a body. "Thank you Voice for taking the time to talk to me. I hope you like my gift." Darkeye bowed deeply again and bowed his head.
"As for my questions, I have heard many accusations concerning you, and before I make up my mind about you, I just thought it was fair that I ask you about it." Darkeye had not asked how to deal with Voice. So he tried to remain polite but objective.
"Is Kor on Caido as well, or did you just bring me here?" That was the most important question for him
"What's the deal with the plague and the LongNight monsters?" This was up in his mind for a long time.
"Is peace still possible in your eyes?" Still a warpriest so peace was importan.
"Do you allow me to write down your answers?" Darkeye was ready to take the book out
"It is well-crafted," the Voice says of his gift, smiling as he lists his questions. She can appreciate candidness, and Darkeye certainly has it in abundance. "You may write them down," she confirms, before beginning.
"Kor is not on Caido," she confirms. "But that may not always be the case. The algorithm may yet bring him through."
"The LongNight monsters are no more. My Ascended brought an end to them two years or so ago. As for the plague, which one do you refer to? There have been two notable illnesses in recent times." She tilts her head.
"I have never been concerned with war. I wish only to exist, and for my children to live. The Old Gods bring war to my doorstep," she explains. "Any parent would protect their child, don't you agree?"
03-17-2022, 07:05 AM (This post was last modified: 03-17-2022, 10:20 PM by Darkeye.)
DARKEYE
Darkeye made a deep bow the praise of a god was always good. Then he took out the book with the black manticore on the front. He began to write down the questions and their answers word by word without embellishing or belittling anything. Facts.
"You would bring the god of war into your world it could be that he turns on you. Do you like to be addressed as Voice or do you have a name?" Darkeye wanted to know so much from her. She made him curious.
"Many people have suffered from them, and some say they still exist hidden beneath the earth. Why did you create them? The Black death is the one I want to refer to, they say you brought it upon the people, I just don't understand why you would do that." Darkeye wondered a lot as he wrote this down and hoped for a good answer.
"Then why don't the gods protect you, you are a goddess. You are their child too, why don't they protect you and help you find your divine path. I am trying to convey that some of your children are sowing war and despair. Many have died unnecessarily and that disturbs me personally. " Darkeye looked up as he wrote this down, one side for the questions, the other sides for their conversation. He kept a record.
"Wise words," the Voice says. "I have been called the Voice for as long as it matters, so you may address me as such."
The Longnight monsters brings a small frown. "They were not created as weapons. They were attempts, experiments, you might say. They have been eradicated from the Hollowed Grounds, thanks to my children. That is all I can say about it."
She watches him write with a tilt of her head, fingers still brushing across the black pearl. "You refer to the Blight," she realises. "That was unfortunate, but it was not done intentionally," she explains. "My children and I were trapped behind a barrier for 300 years. The effect on the environment when we were freed was not done maliciously."
The idea of the other gods protecting her brings forth a bitter laugh. "The Old Gods are afraid of anything new. They would rather eradicate me than protect me. If my children fight, they fight for their lives. We react - we do not instigate."
"As you wish Voice," Darkeye nodded, hoping the conversation would continue as before.
"Then why didn't you exterminate them when you created them? What did you hope to achieve with the experiments and attempts? Also because of this, your children don't have it easy in the world." Darkeye felt like Voice was avoiding the question, but he wouldn't let up.
"It is, however, assigned by many as your act. I want to know what you did to stop it? Many have died because of it, and your children are still suffering because of it." Darkeye continued to write and only when he had finished writing did he lookup. There was no fear in his gaze, only a desire for the truth. "It is already known to me that you and your children have suffered."
"I'm afraid I must disagree with you Voice, the last action of your children was not a reaction but an act of war. Whether it is justified or not I still have to find out. But attacking a city and branding everyone as guilty just because they live there like your child Amun said. I know the order hit you hard but attacking a city and killing innocent people is not what I would call a reaction. Please be gentle with me. I will treat you with respect. I expect the same." Darkeye was irritated. Voice was really trying to sweep this under the rug?
It is subtle, but the flicker of static around the Voice is a small indicator of annoyance, a warning that Darkeye may be straying into disrespectful territory regardless of his behaviour. "My children and I were trapped behind a barrier for centuries because an old system feared progress," she says. "A blight was caused, and my children did not suffer for it, so why ought I stop it?"
As for respect, the smile she gives is tinged with sharpness. "Respect is earned," she points out. "If you really wish to understand my bright ones and the way they have been treated - the way they continue to be treated - then you are always welcome to Ascend and become part of our family."
Darkeye was not intimidated, nor did she feel she had provoked anyone. "This is not my opinion Voice I am just reciting to you what I have heard. Many people hold you responsible for the death of these people. You say it was an accident and the consequence of your liberation. If you don't want to comment on the other points, I will simply write down these questions as unanswered. This is the chance to reveal everything and explain your point of view."He said this without reproach or evil ulterior motives."Why you should have helpt? To put your children in a different light as they are seen as the culprits of these blight. I don't want to attack you these are just words from my book reports from people who told me what they think about you of your children and the old gods and heralds".
"I thank you for this generous offer Voice but I am afraid I must politely decline. My loyalty is to Kor, and I have made an oath to him that is valid for me in this world as well. Loyalty and respect he has earned from me. Just as you say. But I am not your enemy, I can help you by mediating on both sides and trying to find a place for you and your children in this world." Darkeye tried to sound friendly but clearly show his limits.
"Many people hold the Old Gods responsible for their part in the tragedies of this world. Are their crimes recorded in your little book as well?" the Voice wonders. "Do not misunderstand me. I care not for popularity contests, and I need no mediation. I am a goddess, not a political candidate. Should you succeed or fail, it makes no difference to me. I will make my own victories."
She can, at least, appreciate his pragmatism. "If you wish to help my bright ones, though, then perhaps there is yet hope. What would you do to assist them?"
Darkeye nodded curtly at this statement. Yes, they are. There are also reports that they have made many mistakes. Deeds that they have to face. But this conversation is about you. It's about my questions, but if you don't want to answer them, I will write them down in a way that you didn't want to answer them. It would only be helpful to protect your children. That is one side of the coin, I am a peacemaker, I am not trying to pull you into politics here either, I know what you are. At least in part. For you, it doesn't make any difference if you speak or not, but for your children, if I succeed, they will be safe. They couldn't kill you, so they locked you up. So they will try to hit you where it hurts the most, with your children." The thoughts he had for Voice would not help now.
Darkeye thought for a moment. "Then I will explain to you why I am asking these questions and why I am trying to negotiate. I want to give a chance to those who try to survive without hurting others. I would fight for them and even risk my life. I am trying to secure the upcoming war for the survival of your children. And also to strive for coexistence. But for that to happen, there must be peace talks at some point. I serve a war god Voice. If there's one thing I know about, it's war. I may try to help where I can. But when it comes to war, everyone will whine and cower and wonder how it got this far. If I can give your children an answer then, without twisting the words, it will be easier to convince them."Darkeye took his book aside after he finished writing. He stood up and looked to where he thought Voice's eyes were. "I'm not your enemy, not your friend. I'm not fighting this battle for you. I do it because my credo demands it of me. I'm a man of my word. I'm fighting for your children here. It is up to you whether you cooperate with me or not." After that he sits down again. Take his book on his legs and writes every word of what he said down. So that Voice could see it.
The Voice listens, but there is a flatness to her gaze which suggests that she isn't really hearing Darkeye any longer. "We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot," she murmurs, flickering with static. "So let me clarify things for you. I am a goddess - and you are nothing. The god you serve is nothing. The places you once lived and the reputation you once held - nothing."
The static grows, flickering in fingers of electricity across the Voice's skin. "And I owe you nothing. I do not answer to you, or your little book, or your opinions. I have told you all that you deserve to know for one occasion. Should you meet with another deity, pray hold your tongue."
One of the fingers of electricity lashes out at Darkeye as the Voice disappears. He will feel no different, but his armour might seem somehow... sticky?
The Voice has disappeared and has cursed Darkeye for the remainder of the season:
Darkeye is very magnetic. Metals affected by magnetism will stick to his bare skin, and will be quite difficult to remove.
Darkeye clenched his fist he didn't know if she could still hear him or not. "I am not nothing. Even my god is not nothing Voice even if you see me as an enemy I will continue to act as before. I did not ask you to obey me, I asked for answers. I don't know why I am here but this has a purpose no one is nothing and your answer does not hurt me. It just makes me angry. However, I will continue to fight for your children. But not for you. Thank you for your open exchange of opinions. I hope for you that Kor will never find his way into this world. All your children will die for this comment. No one insults the black manticore, a god has already tried and felt his wrath. Maybe our next conversation will be better Voice. Until then, I fight for those I care about. Respect has to be earned, even a god has to earn it, and he doesn't do that by talking like this. You can't intimidate me, Voice. You can't demand respect from me like this" With that he writes down his last lines and closes the book.
He doesn't notice how the rivets of his armor tighten against him and the weapons he likes to carry press against him. Even the spear seems to be tighter in his hand. The rage in him is too great. No one offends Kor, not even Voice. He knows that he has lost all of his titles, but he has already lost them once and has worked his way back up. He did not notice how the candlesticks began to move in his direction as he left the room.
