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!
He had thought that with the coming of Flowerbirth he might experiment with some of the drylander flavors that had caught his interest in recent seasons. Fruits, he was familiar with, and increasingly with the delights of sugary confections in their many varieties. But one sharp-tasting spice that he wished to learn more of was grown, he was told, along the Ahi coast.
Flowering vines that climbed woody trees near the shore, with green flower spikes and small, dark red fruits were what he was hunting as he swam along the coast in a place beside the jungle where the beach had washed away and the trees directly overhung the mild surf. He had thought he had found some...
But the flowers were withered from frost-blight and ice rimed the trees from the ocean's spray. The dark-skinned merman's stoic expression was marred by a slight frown as he inspected the unseasonal damage to Torchline's flora, and he pulled himself a little ways out of the water to peer deeper into the jungle, trying to discern how far the unseasonable cold damage went.
Is that a little twinge of guilt in your breast, Wessex? Seeing that kernel of fear come to life - letting another region or two pay the price for her bargaining? Word spread like wildfire that Torchline hadn’t thawed out like before and with the knowledge of the secret shrine at the forefront of her mind, she had to go investigate. Slow, somber steps carry her along the shoreline, taking note of what greenery was missing - along with the sounds, the people, and the grey skies. Her face twists tightly down and in in dismay - even when she spots something cool and unusual - a Mer, half out of the water.
She hails him with an energetic wave of her arm, calling out brightly, “Hey!” so it doesn’t seem as if she’s sneaking up on him.
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
The merman turned at the call and saw a friendly drylander approaching. Dark-skinned, muscular, and with hair the color of steel when wet, he gave her a sober nod of greeting. "Hello," he returned back politely. He eased a little ways back into the water for comfort but kept his elbows on the grassy verge so it would be easier to speak with her when she reached him.
"I am Hadama." The traditional courtesies of greeting helped to settle his mind, though an emerald glance back at the frosty foliage threatened to break his stoic neutrality with worry once more. "Do you know this area?" This stretch of coast and jungle in particular; his first encounter with the season's strangeness on land.
As the demigod nears, she an see that the merman looks completely different from the other two Mers she’s known, and though she feels a bit like an idiot for thinking it, it does make sense that they, too, would come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. As he pulls back into the water, she stops with some space between them, inadvertently treating him a bit like a skittish animal.
Wessex offers a polite, close-lipped grin before answering. “Nice to meet you Hadama. I’m familiar with it enough…” trailing off a bit, she glances back towards the greenery that is struggling to come to life. “Though it doesn’t usually look like this.”
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
Hadama looked more comfortable now that he wasn't bracing himself up at an awkward angle to peer into the trees, and he gave Wessex an inquisitive look over as well, noting the similarities and differences between her and other drylanders he had seen and met in recent seasons.
He dipped his head at the completion of the ritual, waiting for her name. When it didn't come he simply accepted it philosophically and joined her in looking at the frosted tangle of yellowing foliage. "This is my first Flowerbirth above the waves," he admitted, "in many years." It was good to have confirmation that this was not, in fact, the new normal of the coast. "Do you know how far back this frost goes?" Was it confined to the shoreline, or did it go all the way inland?
“Oh!” At first she’s surprised to hear that the Merman hadn’t been above the water in many seasons, but after she thinks about it for a hot second, it seems to track.The other Merpeople were almost totally ignorant about human things, and at least for her, vice versa. Everyone was nice enough, of course, but utterly alien. Part of her wants to engage more, to dig and find out all kinds of things about this Merman and his people, but there is too much to do. “Last year’s was much better,” she tries to joke, but just kind of ends up in an awkward shrug and chuckle.
She shakes her head in response to knowing. “No. Afraid I’ve only just heard of the cool weather and frost, haven’t fully investigated it.”
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
Even when he'd come up to the surface as a rebellious young sprat he'd stayed well back from the human settlements, content to watch their ships or play among the shifting islands. It was only in recent seasons that he'd begun to engage with humans and explore the canals.
Though days like today, he wished he had a little more experience to draw from.
He looked to the woman curiously as she made her joke, giving a solemn nod of agreement, but her unfamiliarity with the current phenomenon had him pausing in thought. "I would like to know how far it has spread," he said slowly. "If you are traveling along the shore, may we travel together?" Company would be welcome; especially company who stood above sea level and had a better vantage for looking inland.
some turn to dust or to gold, but you will remember me
Well… why not? Knowing where Eirachi’s shrine is, Wessex is also curious how far the winter weather goes and what the damage might be. “Sure,” she says, amicably enough, though she doesn’t move at first. “Though you won’t exactly be able to swim this close to the shore, will you?” she asks, eyeing the water and the depth and Astor isn’t quite sure whether this is a cliff/dune shore or a gradually coming in shore and the Merman’s body.
Suddenly shifting into her kitsune form, Wessex’s now much smaller head tilts with what might be described as amusement and pride before she looks ahead of them.[say{ There. This might be the easier way to talk.[/say} Because if she recalls correctly, even under the Sea she could talk to the Mers whilst shifted.
"Not beyond this area," he agreed regretfully. The sea had eroded a small cliff here. The drop-off was less than a foot at high tide, but away from this part of the jungle the shallower waters would be much harder for him to navigate in his mer form.
But his companion for the day had an answer to the dilemma. It was easy to assume that she was an Attuned when she shrunk down to a small, furry animal that he thought was called a 'fox.' Much easier, he agreed, mindvoice a deep rumble of approval tinged with relief at his luck.
He sank back into the water, letting his shape flow into that of a broad-winged manta - much flatter in shape and far easier to travel the shallow coastal waters in - and began to swim slowly in the direction the woman had been heading. What brought you this way today? Perhaps a dryland cook come to harvest the wild pepper, as he had hoped to do?
07-23-2022, 07:35 PM (This post was last modified: 07-23-2022, 07:35 PM by Wessex.)
Wessex
some turn to dust or to gold, but you will remember me
That settles it, then.With a pulse of agreement, kitsune!Wessex starts forward, eyes bright and alert, and her nose doing a heckuva job analyzing everything her dulled Ascended senses couldn’t. The salty tang of the sea is even stronger here, along with the crisp coolness of the winter that Does Not Belong. She deviates a little bit from the shore, darting up to what looks like some thick, loopy roots to investigate them more closely. All her tails float behind her, ceating the illusion of a black fan on her butt, with its edge dipped in white. I’d heard the rumors of a lingering Deepfrost, she offers as an explanation - which is true. Just wanted to see it for myself. And what brought you to the surface after all this time?
The mer wasn't familiar enough with land animals to know whether that many tails was normal or not. He thought that it wasn't... but perhaps it would be rude to comment on it? Either way, once he had shifted form it was much harder to see his fellow traveler unless he sped up and made a small jump out of the water, which he did when the fox stopped to investigate something.
Circling slowly to keep water moving through his gills he considered her question, and how his answer had changed over the passing seasons. Boredom. Restlessness. Curiosity, he rumbled at last. I spent twenty years mastering my mother's trade. To carry on the family legacy. But I lack her magic, and she has no desire to retire yet. So. There has been much to learn, shoreside, in the meantime. To keep him busy and give him new purpose.
Are there are other places that the Deepfrost lingers?
some turn to dust or to gold, but you will remember me
Despite the numerous differences between herself and the Merman, Wessex finds herself identifying a little with Hadama. The little head bobs up and down in agreement as she looks briefly over towards where the ray swims in circles. I know the feeling, curiosity - and the wonders of Caido - drive me to explore. And now her nose tilts toward some greying, crystallized flora, sniffing to see if she can detect anything of note.
They say Kings end is frosted over too.Though I’m not sure where, and if it expands down to say, the Boondocks. Starting to move on, she sticks close to the treeline in order to observe, but continues the conversation as if she’s right by the water. Do the Mers have any knowledge - or lore - of what used to be in King’s End? Clearly there were ships there at one poin.
I have only been to the Boondocks once. For the Deepfrost market, the manta rumbled, a sense of pleasant memory in the mental link. He was quiet for a time, his slow pace downright relaxing as he paralleled the fox's journey along the coast. Another jump splashed water across the shallows as he came into the air to see what had caught her attention and then belly-flopped the landing; the lack of momentum made grace a more difficult proposition out of the water.
There is a story... he began, though there was uncertainty in his voice. Of a King and Queen whose funeral fleet sailed around the coast of Caido to those docks. The mer provided an honor guard and escort. But it was so long ago the details are lost. And any who could corroborate long since dead.
08-02-2022, 07:14 PM (This post was last modified: 08-02-2022, 07:14 PM by Wessex.)
Wessex
some turn to dust or to gold, but you will remember me
Oh, yes, that was a nice market, she agrees, continuing their small talk. Nothing of note had happened, and given the drastic events she had to compare it to, quiet is indeed nice.
To hear him tell a brief, but illustrating tale makes her ears perk up and she turns towards the water again. If that’s true, I imagine it’s how King’s End got its name. The whole place actually seems to be a beautiful, very large burial ground. From the Barrows to Mourn, the land itself often gives off a quiet calmness, of introspection and peace. It’s clear that Wessex enjoys King’s End, as a wave of calm, grounded energy sneaks across the Attuned bond.
As for the frost? She looks back, and then darts further in, till only the tips of her tails are visible. Yeah… the Wraith calls out. It’s not devastating, but it’s here. So that gives it a decent spread. As she pops back out, the angle of the sun catches her eye and she sighs, acknowledging that the day has passed by far too quickly. I’m sorry, I have to go. Nice to meet you, Hadama. And with that, she disappears back into the underbrush.
