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!
07-25-2022, 09:24 PM (This post was last modified: 07-25-2022, 09:26 PM by Wessex.)
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
She would much rather be standing before her Lady’s shrine - the alcove is a beautiful, elegant place - while the Old Gods’ shrine is just bone. Bones bones bones. Strewn about, too (her own handiwork, but if no one’s been here to see it, then no one really knows, right?), made into a proper, disorganized mess. Wessex starts to go through the motions of tidying up a bit taking care not to be too terribly effective. As she stacks two bones, the Wraith remains in a squat, looking around at the blackest, shinest cavern.
Her last questions had gone mostly unanswered. She hopes these will fare better. “Tanau? I have some questions about the Climb. You were so kind to answer my questions a couple of years ago - I hope you’ll do the same again.” She comes without an offering for the Longheat god, but perhaps flattery will get her somewhere.
She's lucky in the fact that Tanau is arguably the kindest of the seasonal deities, and does not take (much) offence at the lack of an offering.
She's unlucky because the last time she came to see him, he was weakened by his ordeal. Not so this time - and so as the Longheat god appears awash in spark and colour, licked by flames of crimson and viridian, it's hot.
Even for one as powerful as the Wraith, standing in the heart of the Climb and calling upon a deity that basks in heat and magma? To say she's playing with fire is an understatement.
"Hallo," says Tanau, crouching as well to brush flame licked fingers over the bones, carefully stacking them again. "What is it you'd like to know?"
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
This is not like before - her sensors clang in warning and Wessex has to duck her head and throw her arms up in a sudden, futile effort. A few rogue bones clack noisely across the floor, scattering in the wake of her hasty retreat, until hopefully, the danger! systems calm the fuck down. “You’re stronger than before,” Wessex notes with a chuckling gasp. “Good. I’m glad to see you recovered.”
She smiles towards the brilliantly colored flames, but her sensors have given her a sense of urgency, and so she wastes no time. “Do you know if the Gods hid something special here? A powerful item from the last war?” It has occurred to her that Tanau might be its guardian (after all, what Ascended would be foolish enough to entertain talking to a fiery God?).
Tanau's hands flinch away from the bones as they go scattering, the deity looking puzzled and glancing up as Wessex staggers back; if gods can be young and naive, he certainly manages it. Offering an apologetic smile as if worried he has startled her more than anything, it's with slower movements that he reaches to retrieve the bones again. "Thank you," he says with sincerity and gratitude. "I am feeling much better."
At her question, Tanau straightens up and runs a hand across his chin, hmming out a sigh that seems to make the walls sweat. "There are many things hidden in the Climb," he says. "Very, very old things indeed. But no items from the last war, no," he says with a shake of his head. "Not that I am aware of, anyway."
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
His answer is naturally disappointing, and Wessex can’t keep the crestfallen look from her face as she deflates a little bit. “I see.” The Wraith falls quiet for a breath while she mulls over her next question. Part of her wants to latch on with a forbidden hope to his admission of not knowing of anything, but no, that won’t help right now.
“Thank you. Can you tell me about any of those old things?” There are rumors, after all, of things in the Lava Pits. And already they’d found Frey’s Breath, the arch in the Mountain Roar’s. That the Climb could hold more secrets would be most unexpected. “Or perhaps…” turning slightly to indicate the nearby obsidian cube with the shallow basin, “About that?” It’s always intrigued her; the obsidian makes her think of the Voice, the cube so modern and stark against the more adorned, fancy vibes the Old Gods seem to require.
"Sorry," Tanau adds, as if this is all his fault for not being able to give Wessex the answers she's looking for. As she asks about the old things hidden in the Climb, though, and specifically the structure at the centre of the Obsidian Cathedral, he (literally) lights up.
Fire races across the polished, ebony floor, Tanau seeming to skate along it to arrive at the cube and it's basin. He nods, his voice taking on the quality of someone trying hard to tell a story. "A long, long time ago, this was used to leave blood offerings. Worshippers would bleed into the basin and say their prayers."
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
Taking care to keep enough space between herself and the flames racing along the floor, Wessex continues to give the Longheat God a decent berth, though now that he’s at the cube and basin, she longs to examine it more closely. From here, however, all she can do is train her upgrade on it and see if there’s anything she’s missed before, because blood offerings?! Holy. Shit. It is above and beyond any lore she’d heard thus far.
Excited, the Wraith repeats, “Blood offerings? To who?” Giving Tanau room to continue his story (and Gods, she hopes there’s more to it), her mind is already trying to figure out which deity might have required such a thing. Mort is always spoken of as if he’s this incredibly benevolent being. Could be Vi… she doesn’t know much about the God of Life, but if he was enough to turn Noah and Amalia into utter cunts, then she can imagine he might be the kind of god to demand literal life from his worshippers.
"I don't know," Tanau says, never straying from sounding utterly enthusiastic, though the flames that halo around him do flicker a little bit. He peers into the basin for a little longer, but when nothing interesting appears, he shifts back to let Wessex have a go if that's what she wants to do. "But it is a spooky story, isn't it?"
Alas, that is all the information the Wraith will get from this interaction. Whether that's because Tanau doesn't know any more, or because he is secretly a bit offended that she's brought no offering remains to be seen.
empires f a l l when we move the i m m o v a b l e
Again, her disappointment is palpable but she manages to keep an amused expression, nodding in agreement with the Longheat God's assessment. A spooky story indeed. "It is. Thanks for indulging me." And perhaps it was an indulgence. A moment of amusement for the firey deity. Could be a lie. Or perhaps he's been here too long and forgotten because three centuries or more is a very long time to remember names. And if he is irked - well, the Wraith is oblivious.
She finds herself at another dead end, grasping at straws and bits of lore that don't seem to connect to anything else. The dread that the last relic might be somewhere in the Greatwood drifts to the forefront of her mind. "I appreciate your time. Be well, Tanau." And, continuing to give him a wide berth, she heads for the chamber's exit.
