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!
Perhaps here was where the respect proportions came into play, or at least recognizing the proper way to discuss the deities. “They seem a bit more neutral than the others, and have helped Halo a great deal.” Another piece of advice, though whether or not Darkeye would take it again would remain to be seen – learning curves might preside on more cumbersome levels if one simply chose not to listen (again). “Safrin has always been very patient with me. She allowed me to Attune when I asked.” When so many other intervals, trials, and attempts had failed. Or amidst the blunders of his mistakes. In turn, he’d remained loyal – even if he didn’t yearn for all the chains, all the fetters, that could’ve been drawn over his soul.
As for Ronin, and toppling the Tower, Deimos couldn’t say. He wasn’t there. “Who is they? The Ascended?” Would they say anything to keep the penalties away from them? So, perhaps those notions might’ve been taken with a grain of salt – considering all the implications rampaging down the assault lines.
you're all bronze and bite all venom and fistfight
Darkeye nodded once again. He tried to let everything go through his head again. "I just have to accept that I am not who I used to be. That my advice no longer carries as much weight. This is not my world anymore. As hard as it is for me to accept, I have to do it or I won't live much longer. I've told you before that I want to talk to them to get an idea of what's going on. I thought that Safrin also wanted the Ascended to be wiped out, but you only spoke out against voice. Isn't that another line or am I misinformed?" He said with great curiosity. Was it possible to fight only Voice? If so, could he subordinate himself to another god?
Darkeye just nodded. "I know it's hard to believe that. But I will continue to investigate because if that is the case, he is partly to blame. Sure, the circumstances were difficult, but risking the lives of others is something I can't condone, no matter how powerful he is or not. Even if it was a desperate maneuver. I will disclose the results. But that does not diminish the attack. It's complected. Do you have anything new on your murder case yet? How are things going in Halo?"
“Given time and experience, your advice would hold merit here. But right now, with everything going on…” and the past, the history, already written, with multitudes of others gathering their arms and readying their munitions, what Darkeye yearned to accomplish would be difficult. Perhaps not impossible, but the implication of his voice trailing off ended on a sigh, a roll of his shoulders as he leaned forward, arms resting on his knees. “I am not certain anything can be stopped. What of your thoughts on a neutral area?” Or had the warpriest opted out of those notions, given parameters and discussions with others?
As for Safrin, his head tilted, brow arching, pondering if he was trying to segment something here. Like a line drawn, but the Sword had already informed him of those time and time again. “From what I know, Safrin is against the Voice.” Most of the Old Gods were. And she’d certainly never asked him to participate in wiping the Ascended out - merely to ensure their power wasn't drawn into the mountains any longer.
With the other notions, his brow remained furrowed, hands restlessly scratching the top of his peryton’s skull, while Zuriel looked on – a silent rendering of judgement from her noble brow. Deimos couldn’t say much in regards to Ronin or the circumstances surrounding it; though had the Ascended never brought forth a siege to Stormbreak, none of the other matters would’ve occurred. “Halo is fine. We are working towards ensuring Whitebrim is safe, and discussing some options for defenses with Frey.” The murder case caused a slight clench to his jaw. “I have not been given details yet, but Noah is accusing Neron of Morgan’s murder.”
you're all bronze and bite all venom and fistfight
Darkeye looked at him very resolutely in response. "I don't think I'm going to give up just because I've had a setback," he said. "I'm just trying to respond to your words and look at it from your point of view. I still have the thought for a neutral territory. It's just that so much happened that I had to follow up on, but it's still in my thought process. I have some goals but I need to get stronger. I also plan to visit Caido. For that I have to become much stronger and have strong people on my side. I want to know what he thinks about this war. But one step at a time. I'm not broken, it's just a small setback. I made a vow to Kor, and I'm not going to throw it away like Remi told me to."He said in a firm voice.
He nodded in response to the comment. "It is only the argument of what is most spoken on the sides of the Ascended. The heralds want to wipe us out. I can't believe that. But as the last attack of Wessex and Amun were. You could almost think that they want to launch an attack. But why, I wonder. It's like I'm missing something in my writings, like I'm missing something." He gnawed on the fingernail of his thumb.
Darkeye looked surprised. "I'm glad to hear that I hope something like what happened in Stormbreak doesn't happen to you." He said with care. "Understand, and Neron is who an Attuned? Do I need to know that one. Is there any evidence of that?" Darkeye wondered why Noah would do such a thing without informing his general. They apparently don't trust each other enough yet. Or they still have to learn to get along with each other.
Deimos remained quiet and pensive during the speech; brows furrowed, notions and features lost in thought. Darkeye wanting to find and see Caido, before the war, seemed like a considerable stretch. “There are rumors that Caido is in the Draig,” and while not far from their current location, formidable, potent, and lethal in every semblance of the word. “It is filled with dragons.” By way of warning – unless the warpriest had a death wish.
To their credit, the Ascended did have those semblances. The Sword knew Ludo to be adamant in hunting them down, but they weren’t doing themselves any favors by assaulting and laying waste to a land. If they’d wanted the innocence angle, they’d long since lost it by way of blights, massacring Fae, and the assemblages of other actions. “Their latest siege certainly did not help matters,” politically or otherwise.
But his mouth drew into a line – not a frown, but something tightening over clenched teeth and jaws. What would draw Ascended here again? They’d lost their ally in Morgan – and Halo had made no other maneuver. Besides, the information about Neron (limited due to the thread between Noah and Deimos remaining ongoing) could at least be given in some areas, in case he was spotted in the neat future. “No. He is an Ascended and Abandoned hybrid. He has many abilities, including invisibility.”
you're all bronze and bite all venom and fistfight
04-22-2022, 02:00 PM (This post was last modified: 04-22-2022, 02:00 PM by Darkeye.)
DARKEYE
Darkeye nodded. "I've heard the same thing. I know it's almost impossible, but it takes more preparation than with the gods, I think. I need people I can rely on. Dragons are not easy to kill." Darkeye pulls out a dagger that appears to be made entirely of a dragon's tooth. "This was my first one. In my world, it is customary to make as many braids as you have killed dragons. I know I won't be able to do that here anytime soon, Deimos. I probably won't make it before the war, but I like to set big goals. Many small ones before that to prepare for the big ones." He said with a grin. He knew that sometimes he had his head too much in the clouds. But he was also a realist sometimes. He knew that he had much more to work for.
Darkeye nodded. But then he raised his finger. "But I have also met a few among them who massively condemn these actions of their own people. There is even one among them who hopes to speak to Ludo again without being killed. But she is too afraid that this could be her end, I hope I can speak to him on her behalf". He said openly. "There are some among them who must not go on like this." He said, slightly angry.
Darkeye nodded."I think that Neron, as well as Wessex, do not like to be seen near Halo but they are not all the same Deimos. I hope the rest of them are welcome if they follow the rules. Darkeye thought about Neron again. "Where is he now that he's been captured?"
The General’s experience with dragons wasn’t pleasant. Not with a number of deaths and assaults associated, and so his eyes barely flickered over the tooth dagger, clenching his jaw, giving away naught more than some restless gesture by another scratch behind Belial’s ears. “No. They are not,” by way of agreement, lines in the stone drawn – he wouldn’t be going there anytime soon. If that was a goal of Darkeye’s there would need to be multitudes done well before it - including a manner of strength, precision, and some infinite luck.
He'd always understood some of the Ascended hadn’t been of the same ilk as Wessex, Nate, or Neron. Like Azrael or Bastien – kind, goodhearted, benevolent in their regards, yearning to exist without the parameters of so many hostile components labeled and pressed against their spines. Some no longer remained. And some held the consequences of their more powerful, and nefarious, compatriots – which was a shame, because none of them should’ve been painted in broad strokes. “I know,” he answered, eyes to the floor – because he didn’t know what else to do. He’d made his offers to Kiada, and she hadn’t taken them.
The mountains stood on its own frameworks anyway. “Halo has made no moves against the Ascended, though I understand if they are not comfortable enough to stay.” Not with Noah, a demigod of Vi, at the helm.
The inquiry about Neron granted a rancorous, embittered snort. “He escaped and teleported away before we had the chance. Likely to the Grounds.” But if there was ever another opportunity, Deimos would seize it. “We will be putting forth letters and notices to other leaders.”
you're all bronze and bite all venom and fistfight
Darkeye went over in his mind how it was done and began to speak. "We were usually a squad of sixteen people. First, we brought the kite down with heavy nets. Four tried to hit the eyes or the wings with arm broods to keep the kite busy. From each of the four sides, two people with long lances called dragon slayer lances run towards the dragon. The person in front is usually the experienced one and tries to dodge the dragon fire. With so much force you can reach the organs of a dragon. We were trained to find the organs on dragons and inflict mortal wounds. But usually, at least two people died with this tactic, and people have trained over and over again. But the dragons still burned everything down. There were five major cities of my people. Two were destroyed and there were very few survivors. It became a real feud. I spoke to my king because I could not continue to condone it. He told me to go and see the battlefields. Then I found my destiny and hunt now no more dragons. I hunt war criminals. Sometimes I would rather go back to hunting dragons." He said with a grin.
He looked at him again. "Deimos, I have a person who wants to talk to Ludo, as I said, an Ascended, but she is too afraid of being killed by him, I thought of Remi, but she has the same fear. She wants to clear the air but goes on living. Do you have any idea how I should approach this?"he asked him with curiosity.
Darekye looked a bit surprised. "Why would that be the case Deimos. Is there anything I should know before I go back to halo?" he asked with great curiosity.
He nodded toward Deimos. "I will talk to Isla when I have finished my walk, if he has killed one of his own then there must be consequences. When I see him, I will ask him about it. Send me a message if you can about what you can find out." If need be, he would do it without the reports. But if he was accused of murder, he would have to be careful with him.
The Sword didn’t expect the lengthy discourse on how a dragon had once been taken down, in another land, in another time, but he listened just the same. It sounded incredibly difficult, and required a massive amount of manpower that may not be available within Caido along stretches of strength and ability. He nodded along, giving it some thought – but not willing to go and rampage through the flying lizards himself either. They’d already lost enough people. “Are you hunting war criminals here too?” Had that been a part of the plan?
He continued scratching behind Belial’s ear until the companion became distracted by a lizard nearby, sauntering off with a hoot – Zuriel standing by, haughty and proud just the same as she tilted her head, as his eyes became more focused upon the priest. “I am not certain if anything can be done, unless there is some go-between, and even then, I doubt Ludo would like that either.” He wondered, albeit briefly, who the person could be – mind configuring back over to ghosts turned real and corporeal again at the festival those years ago. Maea, perhaps, who once coveted Ludo’s attentions so readily?
Mentions of the Sentinel of why that would be the case, seemed all the more obvious to the General. “Noah is the demigod of Vi.”
The mentions of Neron though, gave him pause, and he no longer leaned along his knees, sitting straight, spine unbending, unyielding, tones taking on a definitive note. “Do not say or do anything until we have given out our notices. I do not want any actions based on hearsay. Let us do our jobs first.” Any opportunities gone, any notions dashed, especially when he didn’t know what role Noah wanted him to play, or for the Hailstorm to slip away again, hidden and tucked into enigmas and parameters by his constituents.
you're all bronze and bite all venom and fistfight
Darkeye thought about it for a moment. "The problem is, I don't have the strength of the influence to do that. If I had it, I would do it, yes. I know I talk a lot and for a long time and I think you're a good listener, it calms me to talk about my world." Because this one was not good either... Whether it would go well with Brix. Would it be noticeable that he was gone?
He looked at Deimos and just smiled. "I will help my friends where I can. She helped me, so I owe it to her. She's also one of the few who doesn't treat me like a freak or an outcast."Maea deserved to be helped.
Darkeye nodded, wondering if that should tell him anything. "Vi despises the ascended? Or is it Noah who speaks out strongly against them? I only know him slightly." He says apologetically.
Darkeye only nodded. He would begin his investigation as well. Still, he would try to get to know Neron better and hope to see or hear his attitude on the whole.
Straighter and calmer, dignified and noble, quiet and contemplative, the Sword glanced upward now, towards the stretch of obsidian, at the bizarre interworkings of such a place; before his eyes settled back upon Darkeye, pondering how best to answer. Eventually, the purposeful machinations worked their way through his tones, clipped and measured. “You have many good ideas. But you need the time, experience, and strength in this world to enact on them.” Maybe he should’ve stuck to just one of the multitudes, so that a goal was reached before everything else came crashing down. “Thank you.” With a slight smile; because listening had been an attribute, a skill, picked up long, long ago; carried in his mind and suiting him well.
The grin remained, though it didn’t reach his piercing gaze. “That is kind of you.” His stare went to the floor, narrowing, pondering, grasping at what the most probable of factors would press into the wake. “If you approach the gods about the situation, they will likely say she has made her choice.” There was no going back. A body changed and altered, and segmented solely to one individual alone – dependent, for lifetimes.
Insinuating nothing about Noah, but of the overall outlook lately, Deimos sighed. Thoughts on Kiada swarmed along his comprehension and calculations – for no matter how often he’d expressed she’d be safe, the notions couldn’t be extinguished. Not now. “With everything going on, trust between Old and New God constituents is not easy."
you're all bronze and bite all venom and fistfight
Darkeye played with his beard as he answered. "I'll use the time I have now to do just that, Deimos. I know that this is not my world, because none of the gods of my world would allow what is happening here. Not even the twelve archdemons. I will continue my efforts as best I can. I will try to become stronger. I train a lot. Trying to learn a lot about the flora and fauna. As well as about the people and the deities. I just feel that a lot of people can't deal with a direct, honest way." Said with an almost angry expression on his face. It was not the words of Deimos that caused this, it was the world that made him angry and the gods that behaved like children in his eyes. All the old as well as the new.
He looked at Deimos seriously. "This is hard for me to accept. You haven't seen how she suffers from it, how bad she feels about it. She has emotions, even though it is said that ascended beings cannot have them, she suffers torments. She chose it because Voice offered her something that I think most people would have accepted. A second chance with the love of her life. I don't think even a Ronin or a Remi would say no to that." He said with an increasingly serious expression. It wasn't fair to simply dismiss it out of hand. His features softened again. "I know it sounds stupid when I say that as a war priest. But without love, what are we fighting for? What is the point of living if we are not able to love? Then we live in the day and no longer know what is important. We only realize that we are missing something. I love many things. I would choose otherwise, but people who have a partner and say this is my soul mate would accept this offer, I think." He now said with a smile on his lips.
Darkeye nodded. "I know that Deimos. That's why you need people like me. Who don't choose sides that can act as subordinates. I realized very early on that this is going to be difficult to work on. This is a goal that I have pushed very far back. But I think the leaders of the different realms should still be able to distinguish as humans between those who want to cause suffering and accept the help of those who really want to help." He said with a grin. He knew it sounded like a bad play. But he didn't know how to explain it any better. It was the people who had to work on themselves, not the gods. The gods had so much influence because the people were too easily manipulated.
Any world the Sword, or Reaper, had lived within, had felt the burden of deities and their wars. Isilme, with its radical overtures and power-hungry zealots. Helovia, with followers enchanted by their lands’ gods. And here too – so engrained, so accustomed, so developed and known, that he hadn’t been anywhere that fought against it. Ignorant to any terrains that hadn’t been predisposed to the undercutting of violence, he could only nod at the balance of circumstances. “Then you have plenty to do,” followed by a light smile, a more yielding display; not so taut.
A sigh softened through his lungs though at the next speech; considering the walks of life on Caido. He was aware of Ascended having emotions; his best friend had been one, and her daughter thereafter. His brows furrowed though, eyes tracing back over the floor; contemplating everything he’d ever fought for – love and survival and protection, shielding those he cherished as best he could until –
His jaw clenched.
“Are we discussing Maea?” The inquiry wasn’t cold, but somewhat calculating, trying to find the platitudes there. Of which man she’d opted to stake another life upon, lingering in a firm regret of leaving the gods she’d sworn herself to.
To the other endeavors, his gaze lifted, half a grin etched along his mouth, and not reaching his stare. “I think most can, but the Ascended have not done themselves any favors.”
you're all bronze and bite all venom and fistfight
A forgiving smile was seen on Darkeye's facial features. "I have a lot of work to do. But it's time I prepare myself for all of this," he said, smiling. It won't stay this quiet for long once he finishes his research. For him, this was the calm before the big storm.
Darkeye nodded "Yes Maea is the person I am talking about. She didn't make it through all this to be ignored afterward. She has her great love but not. First Voice gives her an illusion and takes away her right to death and eternal rest. I am more than angry Deimos. He has moved on with his life. She is now alone and has only her brother. Who in my eyes is not a good person, but who am I to judge?" He looked angry, which brought out a side that he often tries to hold back. Wrinkles were visible on his neck and face. As well as the muscles he had, many were tensing unconsciously. When he realized it himself, he took a few deep breaths and calmed down.
After he calmed down."I really want to help her Deimos. She deserves to be happy. I will talk to Ludo about it and if I am cursed again, so be it." he said with a closed tone of voice.
He looked at Deimos and shook his head. "I understand you feel that way about Wessex. Or about Neron but not about Bastien Az or Maea or many other Ascended. They don't deserve to be lumped together with such people. Or is there something else I should know? " he said with a curious undertone. Darkeye thought he had already learned a lot, but it went deeper, as usual.
