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!
After his brief interaction with Ronin, Nikolai quickly made his way to the Hanged Man. It wasn't the best place to read but it was the best place to sit and relax for a while. That and its darkness was beneficial for hiding his fangs as glints of them could be passed off as a trick of the light if he was careful enough.
Finding a cozy spot at the end of the bar, Nikolai ordered himself a beer to blend in. He wasn't really a heavy drinker regardless of being an Ascended. But not ordering something would draw suspicion. Takin ga sip of his drink, Nikolai opened his book eagerly and settled in.
As he dove into the complex theories of self, souls, and memory presented by the philosopher, Nikolai scribbled notes in the margin. Usually commentary, comparisons to other works, and sometimes just little tidbits to remind himself of what he wanted to look deeper into later.
The Ascended still wasn't sure what had initially drawn him to this particular series of works, but the parallels between it and his Ascended status intrigued him. He wished he could ask the author what they thought of his race.
Eyes blinded
Hope seems gone
But we'll make it out alive
After his meeting with Safrin, Noah knew he needed to go where the sunshine was. The frozen world that surrounded him surely did offer sun -- at this time of year longer than any other -- but there was nothing in Halo compared to the rays of Torchline. Using his compass, the man easily transported from the Citadel to the middle of the coastal city, then using his own demigod abilities he hopped about as he wanted to.
Noah was suspicious of the cold that seemed to hold on to the place. This did not feel like anything else he had encountered in this place at such a time of year. Noah wandered about, hoping to pick up on some of what the locals were saying about it. Perhaps then after he would travel to see Maeve. With his spear slung over his back, Noah headed to the Hanged Man to hopefully eavesdrop on some conversation about the off weather.
Ordering himself some whiskey and taking a seat at the bar, Noah sat and listened for hours. He held small conversations here and there, but finally fell silent to his drink. When a man came in and also took residence at the bar, Noah looked up briefly, and caught the man opening a book. "What is that you're reading?" Noah asked, shifting upon his stool to look at the man. The ring on his hand did not indicate that he was an accepted, so there were limited options. He let the thought press down in his mind, though, for the curiosity of why a man would be reading in a bar in Torchline far outweighed his wonderings of what race he was.
Nikolai looked up when he heard a voice. He didn't recognize the man and felt a small pang of unease. It was likely just residual nerves from having encountered an Old Gods' demigod. Completely unaware that yet another one stood before him, he answered Noah "A book on philosophy."
The Ascended couldn't tell if the stranger was more intrigued by the book or himself, so he elaborated. "I figured a bar was a good warm spot to read. Probably not the quietest but, it's nice to read with a beer in hand."
That bit was only a half-lie. The scholar had developed the habit of sipping coffee while reading, back when he was Accepted. It just felt natural to drink something when reading, even if he didn't need it anymore.
Eyes blinded
Hope seems gone
But we'll make it out alive
Noah hadn't really expected such an amiable response from the stranger. From his past experiences in Torchline, he half expected to be told to shove off (though not in such a kind way). Lifting his glass to his lips, he took a small sip of the whiskey as the man explained. "Hmm.." Noah's throat rumbled with curiosity as he set his glass down and leaned forward against the bar, propped up on his elbows. His rough hands folded neatly and he looked from the book to the man, his eyebrows raising to continue to signal his interest. "What does this particular philosopher have to say?" Noah didn't think himself a scholar, really, but having used the library within Stormbreak, as well as the magic school when it was briefly alive in Halo, to gather more information had been a beneficial use of his time in his mind.
Nikolai was surprised at the man's curiosity and all though he kept his guard up, he couldn't help but jump at the opportunity to discuss his current academic pursuit. "This one debates the potential connections between souls, memories, and self. In their books they basically debate if it's the soul or the memories that define 'self' and if alteration to either via magic, injury, or illness would thus change one's 'self'."
That was the basic summary at least. The Ascended had initially been drawn to the concept of souls after his Ascension. Did being more than human change his? What did that mean for him? These questions had driven him to seek out this scholar. But now the concept of memories, amnesia, partial memory, etc, and how that might change one's core 'self' intrigued him.
Did losing one's memory change who they were down to the soul? Could a major personality change, a change to the 'self', change one's soul? Questions like these were what now occupied the scholar's mind.
Eyes blinded
Hope seems gone
But we'll make it out alive
The hunter was not a scholar. He was not a philosopher. Though he was gaining knowledge every day and truly did enjoy learning, what the though-unnown-ascended said about the book he was reading went entirely over the Sentinel's head. He could blame it on the liquor, of course, but even as sober as the morning sun Noah probably wouldn't have much to contribute to the discussion at hand.
But he could always as questions.
"Hmm. Does it say anything about the shifts of attuned?" Noah had always heard, and held the belief within himself, that the attuned shifts were extensions of their souls. The gods knew what animals represented the deepest parts of who they were, and granted them the ability to show that through their shifts. He wondered if there was anything this scholar had to say about that. The hunter did not even consider for a moment that the book could be from an outlander's perspective.
Nikolai's surprise only grew as the stranger starts asking questions. And the question was a valid one. Humming in thought, the Ascended flipped through the book and quickly reading the chapter titles, "Let's see." Although the author was an Outlander, surely, they mentioned the races in Caido?
But alas, there didn't seem to be the word Attuned anywhere, at least not in the context that he was searching for. "I don't see anything. Oh wait!" a section caught his eye and he quickly read it before he turned back to Noah. "It doesn't say Attuned but there's something sort of related."
Nikolai pointed to a subtitle for Noah to see, 'The Eternal Soul and the Fluid Form'. In it appeared to be an in-depth discussion about how one's constantly changing external form both mirrored and contradicted the permanence of the soul's form. "It's a little confusing but they seem to say that the changing of one's external form can reflect the soul. But at the same time, the very act of changing the external form contradicts how the soul remains unchanged. I think?"
It really was hard to wrap his mind around it but at the same time it made some degree of sense. Attuned could change their forms to creatures that their soul resonated with. At least, that's what he'd heard. But if this philosopher was to be believed, although the changing shifts reflected the soul, the soul itself remained unchange
Eyes blinded
Hope seems gone
But we'll make it out alive
”Ah, an outlander book then, I’m assuming.” Noah said, leaning back in his stool some. His spear clinked slightly and rolled, but without missing a beat the demigod grabbed it and returned it t is spot leaning up against the bar beside him. As Nikolai went on and described what the author did have to say, Noah listened intently. His face stayed as glacial as ever, easily masking the fact that the opinions being presented to him went over his head.
Taking a sip of his whiskey and finishing the glass, he motioned to the bartender to fill it again. With a grumble and an accent that sounded like he was chewing on rock, the bartender filled the Halovian’s drink and cursed him at the same time. Noah ignored it, knowing he had paid enough at the start of his time to fill his bell with as much liquor as he desired.
Finally, after letting the information and opinion roll over is mind, Noah was ready to respond. Picking up his full glass, the hunter swished the golden liquid as he spoke — or, well, thought aloud. ”I think its a beautiful reflection of a solid truth. You can change the exterior, but the soul always stays. You can see parts of that in attuned—their animal shifts can retain scars and even the eye colors of their human form. A way to say that some things within cannot be changed no matter what happens to them.”
Little did he know, by saying what he did, he could be encouraging the ascended before him.
Nikolai was surprised to find himself actually smiling softly at the man beside him. "Yeah. It is beautiful." The idea filled him with warmth. He truly was the same person that he was before he Ascended. Maybe a little more mature with everything that had happened since then. But he was still him, just Nikolai.
The Ascended tossed the rest of his drink back and closed his book. Getting to his feet, he sent Noah one last grin. "Thanks for the discussion. I enjoyed it." Philosophy was always at its best when it was shared and debated. It was the study of open-ended questions after all.
"I'll see you around." After settling his tab, Nikolai headed out to take the portal home.
