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!
The nightingale appear'd the first And as her melody she sang
Take a rainbow and make it larger.
That was what Phoebe was attempting to do. Was the concept abstract? Yes. Did it make sense? Not really. But she had to do it anyways. She had thought long on just how to accomplish this task. And as it turned out, some science was the answer she came upon.
She appeared in Vi's Eyes with a pop and swirl of rainbows, a basket in hand. From it she produced a series of glass prisms, each bigger than the next. Carefully she lined up the first with the sun until a small rainbow appeared on the ground. Then she took the next size up and lined it up with the light of the rainbow until another, slightly larger rainbow appeared on the ground. The Nightingale repeated these steps until at last the largest prism was in place, and a rainbow light the size of her hand appeared on the ground.
"There, Frey! I did it!" she said triumphantly.
The apple into blossom burst To life the grass and violets sprang
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
Sohalia was wandering, as she was wont to do.
It had been some time since she'd left home, and she had no intention of going back any time soon. What was left for her there except for shadows and anguish? And that was not how she lived her life - light and love was her bread and butter, and to wallow in self-pity would be a disgrace. No, it was far better to keep moving, to keep busy, to keep learning. And so it was that she found herself in the Eyes of Vi.
It was someplace new she'd never been, and she was rather enjoying the experience. Small pools of water dotted the landscape, each showing a different, faraway vista rather than a simple reflection. Sohalia had wondered what would happen if she were to step into a pool, but she was too afraid to try it. This world was beautiful but often dangerous, and she was poorly equipped to face danger. Maybe one day she would be faster, better, stronger, but for now, she would simply do her best to stay safe.
What surprised her about the Eyes of Vi was that she was not alone. In her wanderings, she came across a young woman of ethereal beauty, and Sohalia was immediately entranced - especially once she saw what the woman was doing. She placed a variety of prisms of different sizes in a careful row, crafting upon the ground a rainbow roughly the size of Sohalia's hand. Sohalia was immediately curious.
"That's so pretty!" she exclaimed by way of greeting, emerging from the trees. "How does that work, exactly?"
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
The nightingale appear'd the first And as her melody she sang
Phoebe jumped a little, surprised by the sudden voice. Her foot shifted one of the prisms on accident, breaking the streak of colors. But once she was assured she was in no danger, just another young woman likely roaming about who had happened upon her, she leaned down and fixed the prisms' position.
"Hello there." Phoebe said with a warm smile, looking from the girl to the ever growing rainbow on the ground. "The glass disperses the light so you can see the colors of the rainbow. Each prism is larger so the light stream is larger too." she explained, happy to share the information with another curious-minded fellow. "My name is Phoebe by the way."
The apple into blossom burst To life the grass and violets sprang
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
The woman jumped, and Sohalia silently cursed herself. She should have made a noise or something to indicate she was there. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you," she said with an apologetic smile. She'd gotten so excited about the rainbow that she hadn't even thought about the fact that her sudden appearance might not be entirely welcome. At least the woman seemed friendly.
Sohalia emerged further from the trees to stand beside Phoebe. Her skirts swirled around her ankles as she walked. "I'm Sohalia," she said, "But my friends call me Soh." She studied the rainbow on the ground again, captivated by the way the prisms caught the light. "I didn't know glass could do that," she commented after a moment. "How fascinating!"
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
The nightingale appear'd the first And as her melody she sang
"Don't worry, no permanent damage done." she said with a warm smile, letting the surprise of someone appearing roll off her back. It happened from time to time after all. It was nothing in the grand scheme of things.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Soh." she said with a grin, before looking back at the prisms and the rainbow. "Part of the reason it works is the shape." she explained. "Glass on its own won't produce this, but when shaped like a prism it works just right." she said, then looked over at the young woman. "What brings you all the way out here?"
The apple into blossom burst To life the grass and violets sprang
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
Sohalia watched the lights dance before her eyes, entranced by their beauty. It really shouldn't have been such a big deal - after all, there were pretty things everywhere, all the time - but there was something about seeing a rainbow on the ground rather than in the sky that transfixed the young woman.
In any case, Phoebe asked what she was doing out here, and Sohalia took a moment to ponder the question. The answer, which was that she was wandering aimlessly, seemed too plain and boring for such a lovely companion. And the deeper truth behind her wandering - that she no longer had a home to call her own - was far too dark and dismal for such a wonderful day. And so she simply smiled. "I'm exploring!" she said. "What about you?"
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
The nightingale appear'd the first And as her melody she sang
Phoebe watched as the girl's face lit up upon seeing the rainbow on the ground. It made her smile as well, glad that someone else could appreciate the wonder of little things. Far too many put all their weight into the spectacular, missing out on all the small wonders the gods had created in the world.
"I came out here to do this." She said, gesturing to the growing rainbow on the ground. "I am on a quest for Frey, and one of the requirements was to take a rainbow and make it bigger." Hence the different sized prisms to increase the size of the rainbow, little by little. "Have you found anything exciting in your exploration of the Greatwood?" she asked with a tilt of her head. The wood was home to many wonders after all.
The apple into blossom burst To life the grass and violets sprang
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
Sohalia was easily amused and even more easily awed. Whether big or small, the miracles of the world around them never ceased to amaze her. She listed to Phoebe with interest; apparently, the other woman was on a quest for Frey. She wasn't quite sure what interest a god would have in rainbows and prisms, but that was neither here nor there. It was enough for the young woman that the display was pretty and eye-catching, and that there was science at work behind the scenes. Too often, she didn't understand the things she saw, but she was always learning. And that, to Sohalia, was the best part.
The Greatwood was indeed home to many wonders, but Soh had yet to see most of it. Still, her definition of exciting was certainly a loose one. "Well, I first arrived in Sidhe Village, and that was interesting in and of itself," she admitted with a laugh. "It's a lovely village, isn't it? It's bigger than I'd imagined." She thought of her home village, which was quite small. "And then I came out here. But I have plans to see even more of it!"
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
The nightingale appear'd the first And as her melody she sang
Phoebe smiled a bit. "The Sidhe Village is actually my current home." she said. Now that it was open to all races and not just the Fae it was actually a lovely place to call home. It certainly felt safer with the Greatwood around it than it had in Torchline.
She knelt down and picked up her prisms, depositing them into a small bag on her hip. "Well I would hate to keep you from your adventures." she said with a warm smile. There was a lot to see in the Greatwood after all. It would take the young woman some time to see it all. "Just be wary of Ludo's Woods. It is a little bit haunted." she said, knowing a great number of spirits and spooky fauna called it home.
The apple into blossom burst To life the grass and violets sprang
04-20-2023, 04:35 AM (This post was last modified: 04-24-2023, 06:04 AM by Sohalia.)
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
Soh was intrigued by the notion of Phoebe living in Sidhe Village. It seemed like a wonderful place to put down roots. Of course, she wasn't quite ready to do that yet. After all, she'd only just started exploring the Greatwood, and there was still so much of the world left after that! No, it would be quite some time before she was ready to settle down.
She listened intently to the other woman's advice. "Thank you for warning me!" she said cheerfully. "I'll be sure to be careful." She paused then, trying to think if there was anything else she should ask of Phoebe before taking her leave. "Good luck with your rainbows!" she added, smiling brightly. "I'll just get out of your hair."
-FIN-
and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing
