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!
09-18-2022, 07:51 PM (This post was last modified: 09-18-2022, 07:51 PM by Darkeye.)
DARKEYE
Not the strongest win the battle —
Frey said that he must be interacting with blink hares. But Darkeye only knew through the books of Deimos that these should be found, he did not know yet how to deal with the whole thing. He had seen some with Lena in Stormbreak but he didn't know if he was still welcome there. So he was drawn here and let his thoughts run wild again. Mahariel already looked around and had the environment well in the eye. He did not know what would happen to her if he died. Who would probably take care of her. Or would she also perish. He did not know. He remained on the lurk and hoped that soon one of the rabbits would show up then he would paint or draw one. He also thought about how he should break apart the tooth. He had also not yet received a message from his letters. Would the people even talk to him? He looked down from one of the trees and scanned what animals were passing by.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
No, Melita hadn’t responded to Darkeye’s letter.
She’d seen it. Glanced at it. Reread it a few times, then placed it back on the table, amidst other parchment and potentials. It had been days, and she’d still yet to process everything before, during, or after the cyclical acts of violence: and everything that came thereafter. Maybe the only thing she could understand was the giant uprooting itself from the cliffs – as if those fathoms made sense.
So they walked – her clan of companions and herself, bolstered by nothing more than the necessity to move and wander. The Oerwoud had its own plentiful possibilities, warranting a distraction from the coming days. Perhaps give her time to think.
Shouldering the weapons along her back, she hummed a little tune, bolstered by naught in particular, skipping down a familiar path and trail – none of them, dragon, vampire gourd, or human, aware of another lurking in the trees.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
Mahariel noticed the newcomers first.
Since they were right friendly at the last meeting, she tries not to be quiet at all. She runs downstairs and tries to show herself as early as possible so that no one gets scared. She walks purposefully towards the vampire pumpkin and purrs lightly. Now Darkeye also looks after his mate peeled herself out of the tree, but she didn't try to be quiet, so it had to be someone familiar. But who? He looked down and saw Melita and her companions and didn't know how to deal with her. He took a breath and slowly climbed down. He didn't know what to say, but since she hadn't answered his letter, this could come down to a fight. He kept his distance and waited to see how she would react to Mahariel and him.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
Melita didn’t know how to deal with him either.
The hallmarks of her restlessness clawed at her fingertips as they resolutely snagged at the quiver along her shoulder – until she recognized the panther. The dragon curled her tail purposefully around her arm, while Fangorn enacted his amiable, amicable nature with a resounding, low grumble.
But the Honeybee’s gaze was reserved for the cleric alone as he fumbled his way down through treetops and canopies. And the brash tones immediately centering along her tongue were why she’d chosen to leave the letter unanswered for a few days. “Darkeye,” she started, pondering if it was bitterness coiled across her tone, dismay, or something else altogether. “I thought you said you were neutral.”
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
Majestic creatures, water horses. Even in death, this Ceffyl Dwr remains beautiful, if not near transculent from its place washed up at the side of the water. Something has cut its throat from ear to ear, and its blood has all since drained away.
Mahariel didn't seem bothered by the conversation, seeking Fangron's proximity and nestling close to him to show her affection. A loud purr is heard. She doesn't seem to pay much attention to the feelings of Darkeye, who has a very confused train of thought. She seems to prefer to look at the whole thing from the side and observe. The commands he sends her don't really seem to interest her, she is all cat.
He looked directly at her and thought about how to explain the whole situation. "I still am," he said calmly at first. "But I can't let a whole people be wiped out for their beliefs. There are many among them who do not want to be dragged down in this matter. I have tried to negotiate. I have tried to help each side. But my advice was not taken seriously. I am a warrior priest, I am a level playing field. I fight on one side and then on the other. This is also a form of neutrality. If they don't want my advice, I have to make myself heard in some other way," he looked down at the ground and then up again."Sunjata told me that we were looking for a piece of cloth and that he needed my help. I didn't know what would happen. If I had known, I would never have gone. I was deceived. I have already written letters trying to explain my actions. I understand that something like this takes time. I only attacked the giant and I tried to help Sunjata to free him from Remi's grip. However, that does not excuse my actions. I can only ask for forgiveness. If you are still angry with me, which I can understand, do what you have to do, but take good care of Mahariel, who is not responsible for my mistakes."He said and waited for her statement.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
Melita was of the firm belief that the Voice, considering how she’d survived for this long, wouldn’t dare let her people sink into nothing; so her jawline twisted upward, defiant while Darkeye seemed to explain – meandering around the loop of how dangerous and ridiculous the whole thing had been. “Neutrality means not helping either side. Impartiality. You don’t get to pick and choose the definition.” Bouncing back and forth, alternating sides, wasn’t leaning upon undecided views, as he’d done in the past. The objectivity and open-mindedness he’d flaunted and claimed for so long was eradicated in the way he’d arrived on her uncle’s back.
Her eyes narrowed, and Fangorn bobbed back next to her ankles, leaving the panther to her own devices for the moment – a touch of danger simmering across her tongue. How Darkeye yearned to garb his explanations in ignorance, when there was very little remaining. “But you knew about the actions in Stormbreak before. Why they were banned.” Why Sunjata would be reaching across the void for anyone and everyone to assist, despite every warning. “You were lucky you weren’t killed.” By either Remi, Ronin, or the giant. “I’m not sure how I feel about you at the moment.” Or if she was the kind to offer forgiveness.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
09-22-2022, 05:14 AM (This post was last modified: 09-22-2022, 05:15 AM by Darkeye.)
DARKEYE
Not the strongest win the battle —
"Right I am impartial I help each side that is also a form of it. I help where I can no matter who or what he is. I don't care about the color of people's blood. I know that many people are not familiar with this form, but I have no problem explaining it." He tried to explain the position Kor had taken in his world, but to question it was once again an attack on his own beliefs. But he was used to it by now from the eternal children. "I'll make sure I don't make a mistake like that again, that's the only thing I can say. Sunjata had given me too little information. But it was the last of the relics. I didn't know what was going to happen, so I tried to keep a balance. I fight against giant sharks, rock walls, or other things. I'm not much help at all, but I thought with the relic I could be of more help in the future. I'm tired of being the bait. I just thought you'd understand because you've been in a lot of these big fights," he said, making his point. Was it a mistake to go with Sunjata? Absolutely. Would there be consequences? For sure.
Darkeye nodded, "I know about an attack on Stormbreak. I only knew that he had given his blood to it. He personally told me he had nothing to do with the attack. That's all I know about it. I helped repair the damage there and tried to do my part there. I have invested a lot of time there. I considered Ronin a friend. What did I get? Enemies everywhere. Because I wanted to help. Is that fair? No. Can I change it? Again, no. I'm lucky that my former friends with whom I spent a lot of time are now looking at me like that," he said, pointing at the honeybee. "This is the hell I have brought upon myself through my ignorance. I still know how I feel about you, Remi and Ronin, and nothing has changed. The only thing that has changed is my thoughts about Sunjata. I should have killed him when I had the chance. The fact that he didn't want to help you in the fight clearly showed where he stood. I understand if you don't want to believe my words. I can only apologize for my misbehavior," he said and once again made clear to Mahariel how dangerous the situation was. She looked discontentedly in his direction and sadly in the direction of Melita as well as Fangorn and Sila. Slowly she gets to his side again. Several blink hares watched the meteoric standoff from the side. You could have heard a pin drop for that brief moment of silence.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
A difference in the definitions: Darkeye seemed to wield the novelty around however he liked. “That isn’t impartial,” and she shook her head, not bothering to any further with it, since he didn’t seem eager to listen to the notions anyway. She wasn’t surprised about Sunjata’s tracings over the matter – too little information, keeping others ignorant and bereft, a telltale sign that he hadn’t touched much, even anointed by the gods again and again. “My uncle has used a lot of people.” Her jaw clenched absentmindedly. “At least you know now.”
A pause, a narrowing of her eyes, a twist and turn of how she felt about bloodline ties. “You won’t be able to kill him. Don’t bother.” Sila curled further around her shoulder, until bronze intertwined with the fabric of her clothes. “Are you going into the Safe Haven, after all of this?”
The flicker of the blink hares barely caught her eye – Fangorn noticed with a slight bumble and grumble of his vocals, but she was too absorbed in the multitudes of the present to worry much. Nor about the dead water horse further away, unnoticed presently.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
He knew nothing of the family ties between her and Sunjata. "He's an honorless pig, and I'm not going to let him get away with it. You might, but I won't. He has hurt friends of mine very badly. He has now betrayed me. At least that's how it feels to me. Because of him, Remi banished me from the Greatwood. Just entering would be seen as an attack on my part. I understand how it looks to you. I will try to make it up to you. Even if I don't know how." He said openly, trying to pass on his thoughts to her as he had done so many times before.
He took a breath. "Even who he is your uncle. I'm going to try. I need to get stronger. A lot stronger. I can't do that if I'm in a zone where there's no fighting. I will have to go to war. I am a war priest. That is my task. I've tried peace, and I've put that up against the wall tremendously. I just don't know how yet. Maybe I will build a camp for the war refugees so they don't have to go to Sunjata. I think a lot of people from Stormbreak won't go there if they hear that he was there when it happened. I'm going to set it up and leave it to a person who was elected by the people. But these are just thoughts right now. How about you?" he asked curiously.
Mahariel noticed the smell of the dead water horse as well. She was now very attentive to the people who were here to be warned should something dangerous happen.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
That jibe was enough to send a blistering wave of emotions, a vivid snarl beginning to curl along her lips – eyes narrowing, dangerous and insistent, while Sila curled further into her tresses and Fangorn rumbled; a warning. “Let him? Fuck you Darkeye. You have no idea how many times I’ve tried to reason with him.” About anything and everything – from Safrin’s exploits to the fizzling and fissure of breaking apart their own family, stitching it back together with the tiniest spools of thread, and then not even bothering to include her in its midst. “Take some accountability. They warned you to leave. You didn’t either.”
Insulting her and trying to cover his own ass certainly wasn’t making it up to the Honeybee, and with the way her fists clenched, and breath unfurled, this conversation was taking a mired and lethal turn. “I’m going to defend my home.”
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
Darkeye stood there and let it wash over him. "I will not talk to him I will kill in. The time for talking is over when it comes to Sunjata. I think you misunderstand me here. As for walking, I was on his back meters above the water. Where should I have gone after Stormbreak swim or once over several hours over the sea to get back to the Grounds? I was hanging off of him until he put me in the water and that's when I tried to help and explain my actions so don't talk down to me just because you don't like the words I say. You are not even trying to understand me here. You just want me to swallow everything and let it all wash over me. I don't have the skills like you that I can just disappear and reappear somewhere else. You didn't give a damn what happened to me if I ever got out of there, you would have let me die there too. You didn't give a shit about me. Do you think you can blame me for that now? I did my possible and survived, I apologized and you don't want to hear that apology. It's all right, at least I tried. If you want to see me as an enemy then do it. I will not defend myself kill me here and now if you think I deserve it. I have already taken responsibility for what I have to take responsibility for." He made his point here. He was not going to be so easily passed the buck here. He didn't want to offend her, that was never his intention, but the anger he had towards Sunjata made him see everything a bit more difficult.
Darkeye just nodded. "Do that I wish you success in this. I really mean that. I will not attack you no matter what. I see too much of a friend in you, even if that should no longer be the case on your side. I thank you for your honest words and wish you now a nice day. The same to you two. "He indicated a bow and turned around and turned to go. He had said everything should he now strive here it should be so.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
Darkeye was wrong on several accounts: from her ability to reappear and disappear at will (nonexistent, but gods that’d be fun), his vendetta into mauling Sunjata into a certain death (when her uncle had avoided it for years now and from those much stronger than the priest), to her not giving a shit about him.
Maybe she didn’t now though.
All he wanted to do was talk and talk and talk, without a semblance of self-awareness, or accountability. And she wasn’t going to wait around to educate him either, rolling her eyes, the snarl still vivid across her mouth. Years before, she wouldn’t have hesitated to bludgeon him, much like she’d attempted with Loren. Nowadays it didn’t even seem worth it. Perhaps it was maturity. Maybe she was just tired of it all. “Whatever you think,” she handwaved flippantly, shouldering her weapons. “You won’t kill him. Stick to things you can do.” And then she turned, indifferent and cool where the fire still forged. “Good luck.”
{FIN}
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
