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!
She was a beautiful goddess and it often felt right to bring her beautiful things, but Safrin was also the herald of Life and it was in service of both aspects that Hadama approached Her shrine on a moonless night when the stars shone brightest.
He had searched Razortooth Basin at a slow, careful pace, seeking the largest and brightest of the glowing sea stars to coax into his hand with bits of shelled mollusc. He had crafted a flexible filigree of slender silver wire to adorn it, set with tiny crystals that sparkled in the sea star's own light before bringing it to the island shrine and placing it gently in a shallow tide pool while he prayed.
"Safrin. Thank you for your gifts. They have served me well." Those of material use and those of information, both, and the King was grateful for her interventions in the past. "Would you help me to shine brighter?" So saying, he offered his trident towards the lighthouse and bowed his head deeply in petition for his Lady's answer.
The waters around Hadama grow warm; whether the cause is the sudden surge of bioluminescent plankton or if it's just coincidence is hard to say. Nevertheless, the king is suddenly surrounded by deep greens and blues.
king of the merfolk, friend of the seas It's a unified voice, sounding youthful, and perhaps vaguely boyish. hello and hello and hello to you
Light grew around him, but not the light he had come to associate with his Lady. Still, it was life, and Hadama took it for a good sign. The voice which accompanied it was unfamiliar and yet achingly reminiscent of another youthful, boyish tone that he had once known.
One he had lost many years ago; his youngest brother cursed at the Underwater Shrine by a malevolent spirit.
The King remained still for several moments, considering past and present and future before he let out the breath he had held and sank down into the swirl of glowing plankton. Hello, he greeted, solemn and respectful. This was Safrin's Shrine, and he would not believe that any malevolent spirit would dare to intrude here until proven otherwise. Are you also a friend?
we are a friend of the sea The voice(s) agree. As the King descends, the light begins to sparkle, as if a thousand small shards of glass were filtering down from the moonless sky.
we came here on a current, all the way from the north where the water comes from the leaves. from there we travelled, pushed on by glaciers until the hot lands melted us and we were free to move again. once we lived above the ground in the leaves, but we like it here. we float through the kelp forests anytime we feel lonely.
Through the haze of gentle light, small spherical shapes begin to become distinct. Only a few of them, perhaps 10 or so, and all smaller than the size of a fist.
He listened to the voice(s) curiously, and though he didn't understand all that they said still their story carried a weight of aeons and a distance that was staggering to consider. Spirit(s) bound and freed over the lifetimes of many mortals, traveling far from their original homes to come to rest--
Here.
...Are you often lonely? And perhaps the words carried within them a wistfulness that came from a solitary crown and the secluding weight of duties that, once taken up, could not so easily be put down again.
There was no impulsiveness in the gesture, only a slow, calm sense of welcome as he cupped his large hands within the glowing plankton as he might do to hold one of the gentle moon jellyfish on their yearly migration. He didn't try to hold any of the spheres, but simply admired the living light of their tiny entourage that flowed between his fingers. You would be welcome in the Drowned Gardens as well, friend.
we are always together. there are not as many of us as there were back in the woods, but... The lights pulse as if some separate conversation might be taking place. we are happy with our choice to come here.
Pulsing and sifting, the spheres drift closer. Free of nearly any distinguishing characteristics, they look like a mixture of jelly and starlight, held together by a thin but strong membrane.
It was a way of life that he could not truly understand, but he did not need to understand it to appreciate it, and he inclined his head to them in acknowledgment. Not kindred souls, perhaps, but life all the same, and worthy of respect.
Emerald eyes watched the spheres with curiosity but no fear. They were an enigma but they bore the light of the stars in their hearts and he offered them his hands, palms open and up. He didn't try to touch them, only extended his greeting physically as well as mentally.
Do you have a name... names? he added after a moment's consideration, to call you by?
not names that you can pronounce. They reply. our names are— and so begins a subtle but striking light display of twinkling pulses and flashes. we communicate with light. it travels far faster than sound or thought, you know. So saying another one of those private conversations seems to take place, with their little lights pulsing quickly, almost like laughter.
it was nice to meet you, friend of the seas. perhaps we will see you again.
So saying the creatures allow the slow movement of the ocean to pull them towards the floor where, as Tal had mentioned, a forest lies in wait.
