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!
Deimos still remained entirely uncertain over what to do for Darkeye – and given the circumstances, he wasn’t certainly if there was anything. He’d glanced over the letter several times before shrugging his shoulders, permitting moments of advice for later clarity, but letting the intangible forces settle into the returning ink. An invitation to his home would suffice, in those spare moments of free time he had available. Maybe, between the pair of them, clarity would win over the faults, flaws, and errors.
The sliver of time was narrowed and short, so while he waited for the priest, the Sword began preparing for another evening meal – chopping away at several vegetables along the countertop’s cutting board. The rest of the house, though eternally Spartan and weapon-laden, instilled its warmth with the vibrant glow of the hearth, the racing tides of the peryton’s cloven hooves skittering across the wooden floor, or Zuriel content before the fire.
Darkeye was unsure how to approach the whole thing. But he hoped that his friend Deimos would help him. He had the invitation with him and Mahriel stayed close to him. The temperatures were too much for the jungle cat. It was just too cold for her. So the old dwarf went his way clearly in one direction determinedly he went along the streets and knocked on the door and hoped that Deimos would open it. He didn't come with his hands full of teachings, he had brought the tooth that he had taken from the giant shark. He also hoped to get advice from the general.
Too much had happened that Darkeye had tried to prevent. But now he himself was in the game. The banishment from the Greatwood hit the old codger hard. He liked this forest very much. The conversation with Melita, who had the same admiration for Bastion, did not go as he had hoped, and he made one mistake after another. He was tired of it. Above all, he was actually looking for a way to kill Sunjata. He was in his eyes the culprit for this whole situation.
Eventually, there was the expected knock at the door. Deimos dropped the carving knife for a moment, while Belial beelined for the aperture, barely moving aside so that the Sword could permit Darkeye to enter. Giving the panther a distinctive but curious look, the now-Warden shrugged his shoulders. “Come on in, Darkeye,” before closing the door behind them, and instilling a warning to the peryton.
Returning to the kitchen, figuring the priest could find a place to sit amongst the chairs or near the counter, he resumed his business in meal preparation, sliding another volley of vegetables into their place in the bowl nearby. Only then did his distinctive rumble begin again, unresolved on where to start. “Perhaps you should start at the beginning,” and how he’d manage to embroil himself into the current mess.
Mahriel ran straight to where it was warm towards the fireplace and looked for a place where she wouldn't be in the way or take someone's place. Darkeye, on the other hand, made himself comfortable and tried to organize his thoughts in order to start the conversation.
Darkeye smiled when he saw Deimos cooking again. "Greetings Deimos. Thank you for taking the time. I am in a difficult situation and I hope you can help me," he said calmly. The next words came a bit angry. "Sunjata approached me with a letter saying that he needed my help to get the last relic. It was lying near Stormbreak." Darkeye puts the letter next to him. So that Deimos could read it. "I thought that we would not have to go so close to the line of Stormbreak and could help. Maybe even use the relic for me anyway. We found a dirty piece of cloth. With effort, we managed to move the cloth, but suddenly the whole clip of Stormbreak moved. Buildings collapsed people are injured. I do not know. All my efforts to set something up there were destroyed all at once. It was a stone Giant that guarded the relic. It wasn't long before Ronin was on the scene, as were Remi and Melita. All people I thought I would call friends. They told us to leave and understandably suspected an attack. I tried to convince Sunjata to help. But he only wanted to drag the giant out to sea to get hold of the relic. He did not care what happened to the people there. I left everything to him. Deimos my plans for a refugee camp my supplies. I even left him the building place and plans for his Save Heaven. And he doesn't give a damn about all that and almost starts a war... " The look on the dwarf's face becomes a mixture of anger and despair. He caught his breath. "I then tried, with the help of Frey, to pull the giant towards the sea, so that all this would be over. But it went wrong. Sunjata was hit and I had the opportunity to kill him... But what do I do, fool, I heal him. Now Remi Ronin and Melita think that I am an enemy. I wrote letters to everyone and talked to Melita. But that did not go so well. I am banished from the Greatwood and if I enter it I will be killed immediately by Remi. All because I wanted to help. Kor my God sees this as treason and there is only one solution. I must kill Sunjata, but I am not nearly strong enough. I will have to choose a side now. Sunjata forces me to choose a side... Consciously or unconsciously, it doesn't matter, that's roughly the situation." The old dwarf had been talking a lot now and didn't know how Deimos would react.
As the panther strayed near the fire, Zuriel stared her down – making no measure to move. Perhaps, if the other companion was lucky, she’d be able to snag herself a little spot very close to the hearth, but certainly nowhere the unicorn had already claimed.
The Sword, however, paused in his own ministrations and machinations to listen, to read, and to sigh. Somehow Sunjata always served as a basis for chaos and stupidity, and it was a shame Darkeye had been dragged right into the tempest alongside him. His gaze perused over the letter again, brows furrowing, head tilted to listen all the while. Eventually, he maneuvered through slicing carrots again, to keep his restless energy at bay. “Did you know which side Sunjata wanted the relic for?” That would be the impetus and catalyst for some of the notions – the priest could always claim ignorance, but only to a certain extent.
The pantheress looked for a place away from Zuriel and lay down by the fire... The warmth came back into the body and the mind slowly began to function again. Now the smells finally came back to her and she realized where she was and tried not to make any trouble.
Darkeye considered. "He never said it, but I suspect he wanted it for the ascended to provide balance - he is or was the forerunner of them, even for a short time. I tried to convince him to give it to me but that was for after. To be honest I was hoping to get it that neither side would get it. I had hoped to get more hearing in Caido if I possessed such a relic. I just shouldn't have gone, but now it's too late and I have to clear the air to clear my name. He is now in his haven. What was he supposed to do with it? He takes advantage of people wherever he can, just like dragons are. I was too reckless and idle for too long. I need your advice, Deimos, on what to do." Darkeye was aware of how the situation looked for him. It was useless to gloss over the situation. The truth was important here now.
Sunjata had never really made his alliances furtive – just that they were interchangeable, subject to whims and mercurial pursuits, and might not have justified the means. But there had always been a pattern with the Ascended, and though many hadn’t been bothered by it until the war sentiments escalated, now it presented as allegiances spinning wildly on lines drawn. Between Safe Havens, leadership along the Grounds, and ignoring authority, the Flood had made himself a prime target, and never really seemed to care who he dragged along with him.
Deimos mulled this over, cutting another row of vegetables, before snagging at a head of lettuce and beginning to wash it off in the sink. “You went with him, knowing his goal, but having one of your own?” His head tilted vaguely, brows still furrowed, no indication of emotion written along his features, save for the sigh meandering through. “And so neither side would have the relic as an advantage. Though that would not have stopped anyone from going after you.” He paused, eyes going towards the frosted window, watching the sun beginning its descent. “Sunjata would have likely given it to one of his Ascended brethren.” Someone like Wessex, Nate, Isla…whomever else was still around.
He eventually turned back from the window and sink, ripping apart proportions of the lettuce and placing them amid the large salad bowl. “Have you been banned from Stormbreak as well?”
The old dwarf pondered in silence first. "I was going to make my claim good or trade it to him for all the times I helped him. But I didn't have a real plan. I would have been able to talk to both sides and negotiate. That was the rough plan, not much thought out, I'll be honest. I thought it was somewhere in the wild. I would never have gone along with it if I had known what was going to happen. I should have been restless when they said that Wessex was waiting in the sea. But by then it was too late. There was no turning back. That is the situation as it is now. My plan was not to let people get hurt in Stormbreak or to face Remi and the others." His gaze seemed clear. Many mistakes were made - even a Darkeye knew that. Mistakes that should not have happened. But it was too late for that now. It was not Darkeye's way to sink into self-pity - a solution was needed.
He looked toward the ceiling. "I haven't received a response to my letter from Ronin yet. So I guess not. But I don't think I'm a welcome guest there like I used to be," he said without taking his eyes off the ceiling.
Impulse didn’t make good plans. Forethought, calculations, machinations, mapping out the possibilities, the pros and the cons, the probabilities of after effects were far better notions, in his opinion and experience, than merely rushing onward. And with all of that, here Darkeye was, with nothing more to show for all those impetuous, thoughtless motions. Deimos couldn’t help but grimace slightly, breaking up the portions of lettuce into smaller amounts, before placing them in the bowl. “You may not like what I have to say,” a pointed warning, with his brows raised, for he knew the priest to be an individual who wanted to do something. Committed to actions. Even if they didn’t directly coincide with anyone else’s – which in some cases, would’ve been admirable.
“But perhaps now is the time to lay low. Do what you wanted to do before the war.” If he was still firm on making his own version of a safe haven. If he was still hellbent on neutrality. “Maybe after everything is done…,” then there would be more peace, resolve, and repose to be had.
Darkeye was open no matter what statement came. He appreciated Deimos' advice very much. That's why he went to him to get an independent point of view. "The camp of Kor would be an idea, yes. But I have sent all my raw materials to Sunjata. As well as the building site... I can try, but it will be difficult. I will need help." Darkeye wondered if the other sites were still possible. "There is only one problem, Kor's other side of the war must become active. I serve Kor body and soul, and if he says I must fight, I must fight. But to remain neutral seems difficult. I can fight for one side and then for the other. But many will see it as a betrayal, not as neutrality. I also wanted to bring Neron to you before the war begins. Like Sunjata, I didn't want to let him get away. But I think you are right and should do one thing at a time. Maybe I should also put myself under your command..."Darkeyde thought again for a long time and looked at the shark's tooth. "I am also here for another thing. Frey asked me to break the tooth here to improve my axes. I was hoping you could help me. If you don't want to, I understand." He says kindly to lighten the subject a bit.
“You are correct. No one will see that as neutral.” Not when playing for both sides, and not when so much blood had already been lost. Especially with the priest’s actions already dictated by Sunjata, an individual clearly intent on assisting the Voice and her brethren. He took several more portions of the lettuce, breaking them apart, before wrapping up the rest, and finally surveying Darkeye. The man seemed lost in a myriad of conclusions and objectives, with nothing truly pinpointed, save for opinions – and with everything looming on the horizon, perhaps a clear-cut definition was necessary. “If you were to fight, who would it be for?” The Old, or the New?
His head tilted, the lack of judgement clear, fingers toying along the edge of the bowl, ensuring the wrap was firmly in place. “It sounds as though you are being pulled in many directions. Pick the one that suits you.” Whether that be assisting with the Safe Haven, building his own, by modest means, seeing as how he sent all his materials to the Flood, or finally deciding where to remain.
The last statement caused his brow to arch. “Break the tooth? Is this from the landshark?” Familiar with the storyline, including Darkeye’s involvement, due to Evie’s summations and experiences.
"In my old world, that was commonplace - everyone knew that a Servant Kors could fight for either side if the cause was important. If not, we stayed out of it... I would like to fight for people like Bastien, people like Maea and Amun... people who accepted me like you... I would fight for you but not for the gods... These gods here are all behaving like children and it goes against my grain so much... I'm fighting for more than land or gold for a long time... I want to fight for what I think is right and that is neither the way of the old nor the way of the new gods. I will fight for the people. We already had this topic once Deimos... I can't stand by and see people killed who can't help it," he said, still looking at the ceiling as if the answer was there.
Darkeye looked ahead again, trying to order his thoughts and at the same time trying to guess what Deimos was thinking. He had not talked much as usual but this was different. "Yes I will. But I wanted to be neutral, but because of Sunjata's behavior I am now very stupid, I will think about what I am doing, I can't give you an honest answer right now. Maybe I will just withdraw and watch how everything is going down."A fake smile appeared on Darkeye's face. It was clear that this was the last thing he would do. "I'm going to build a shrine for Kor and see if I can get some inspiration there. Working helps to clear the mind. " he said and now grinned honestly.
Darkeye nodded and stood up and picked up the tooth it was longer than it was maybe almost as big as Deimos. "Frey told me to find a way to break it, I was going to ask Sunjata before all this happened, but then chaos happened. I think you're one of the few who can help me," he said, unwrapping the leather-wrapped land shark tooth.
They’d had the discussion multiple times – but in passing months, when fringes of time were not so pinpointed, rooted, and narrowed. When experiences hadn’t been so fraught. When Darkeye hadn’t been mustered straight into the heart of the matter. And though he could still meander down the middle lines, Kor was not here. The gods within Caido were the reigning distinction. It didn’t mean that he’d need to lose all those aspects of his past, but to depend upon believing others held the same regard was foolish. The understandings, the comprehensions, had all been altered and changed from the ranges and insurrections here.
To hear the resignation though was something else, and the Sword couldn’t help the vague frown lining his mouth. “Understood.” And perhaps, after everything, that would be for the best.
Already familiar with the breadth and depth of the tooth, thanks to Evie’s own quest, his eyes went to its figure just the same. “Have you tried anything yet?”
Darkeye could guess roughly what Deimos was thinking. But there where he was also Kor he did not need any signs or miracles from his god. He needed his belief and his conviction of him. This was what had given him strength after all the years of his previous life. Of course, there was also corruption, but it was usually found quickly. The god who ran laughing into the battle money had saved him as a Pirmasha had done. Of course, he could not expect that everyone would understand. That is why he hoped to find help from Frey.
A shrine to Kor was the right decision maybe even a blood ritual. As it has been done for thousands of years. Even if it was only a sign against the other gods. But he did not want to anger Frey.
"It was my reason for tearing up to you should anyone ask so far I haven't tried anything. The events overturned that I just wanted to get out of the grounds. I don't know if we can cut it or something else. I'm open to your ideas," he said, rubbing his hands together. He finally wanted to do something other than talk.
