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!
01-04-2023, 01:33 AM (This post was last modified: 02-26-2023, 01:44 AM by Noah.)
NOAH
There were very few things that Noah did these days that took him away from the Citadel, and when he did go he made sure he had his compass with him no matter what. Today was one of those days that, as he and Sah and Deimos traveled to the Fangs, Noah thumbed the transportation object in his pocket. He was sure that Deimos could feel his worry over their bond, and Sah knew him well enough to see it behind his eyes.
But, duty called and Noah’s loyalty was far too strong to say no — and if he were in the house worrying over Cordelia for nothing she might ban him. It was good for both of them for him to be doing this today. As they reached their destination, Noah jutted his chin in two directions to indicate to his comrades to spread out and search for the best place to build their hot springs.
And if you drink the water,
It might just stop the pain
Sah gently nudged Noah's shoulder with his own as they arrived, giving the man a knowing look. "They'll be fine. Ilma mentioned that she'd stop by and check on Cordelia while we were gone." Aino's mother was a force to be reckoned with when angered. Nothing and no one would harm Cordelia with her on guard. The woman had insisted on spending the day with her niece when she heard Noah, Sah, and Deimos would be elsewhere for a few hours.
With one last grin, Sah followed Noah's silent instruction and fanned out from the demigod to start scanning the Fangs. The Abandoned looked for any signs of water beneath the ground. Signs such as changes in the soil, increased flora density, or changes in the types of rocks sticking out from the ground. Given the permafrost it was a bit difficult to spot them, but Sah focused his senses to the best of his ability, determined to find something.
Noah’s apprehension inclined on tangible threads, and though Deimos understood it, he couldn’t let it root and fester along his own spine and ribs. The Fangs gave him cause for concern on their merits alone: dragons, labyrinthine qualities, frost giants, and a litany of other possibilities from rambling down vacant and consuming corridors. That he could overpower a majority of these things only dissuaded him momentarily – because there were always others to worry about.
Taking a deep breath, he maneuvered away from Sah and Noah, grateful for the former’s wake in relieving some of the Sentinel’s worry. For his part, the Sword was looking for any portion slightly dipped already, where they wouldn’t have to dig as far, where water might be unearthed and reheated, or where they’d be able to ensure some semblance of security in their surroundings.
Though he could easily, fluidly, conduct conversation with Noah via the Attuned bond, Sah wouldn’t be able to receive the same notations. So, he cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting into the icy warren, listening to the rumbling tones echo off of stone. “See anything?”
The reassurance he had from the two men with him kept him moving forward. The desire for the task to be over and for them to head back to Snowcloak kept him moving forward quickly. The fallen mountains spread out before them in a majestic display of power and mystery that only the Draig could rival.
Searching for an appropriate place to construct their hot springs wouldn’t come as easily as he was sure each of them wanted. Above all else, these men stood with hearts to guard and keep the people of Halo safe. Even in this, with Frey’s blessing, safety would be a main priority. Noah looked for a crop or crevice that could offer them natural guard from the fauna of the area, or even falling snow from the tempestuous sky. Deimos’ echoing caught his attention. Noah cupped his own hands over his mouth and gave back a ”Not yet.” which bounced off the icy walls several times.
And if you drink the water,
It might just stop the pain
Sah was glad to see his words provided at least marginal comfort for Noah. At least enough for the man to be able to focus on their task. Finding a place to build their hot spring was one thing. But just as the others were, Sah was looking for a safe location to do so. There was no point to a healing hot spring if entering it meant danger. Or if one was likely to be attacked entering and exiting the place.
The Abandoned considered his options and endeavored to start by simply finding water. Taking a deep breath before cupping his mouth, he called over to the others, "I'm going to look for denser vegetation! There should be water near it!" With that, he began to scan the area for any signs of a richer grove of flora.
The echoes resounded and reverberated; Noah’s deep vocals, Sah’s following contributions. His head tilted, studying another layout of fallen debris, but after calculating the schematics in his mind, figured it wouldn’t be beneficial or useful. “Likewise,” he called back, listening as it bounded off the icy walls and caverns.
He followed another slight dip in the cave – rallying off to a section slightly to the right, and not very far from the entrance of the Fangs itself. There were the occasional outcroppings of vegetation, enough to give him pause to study the little plants, and some of the mushrooms he and Cordelia had sought before. “May have something,” he called out – figuring if the three of them could root around in this section, they might have better luck at finding a beneficial location.
The way that the echoes bounced and danced off the icy walls contorted the words that the three men used to communicate. Noah’s face darkened and he lifted his head abruptly when something about him being too dense in Sah’s voice landed in his ears. He almost called out a warning to the once-wolf when Deimos’ echoing voice cut him off. He was confused as to what Sah was actually trying to say — was he really insulting the Sentinel, or just jesting at his friend? — when he used his magic to teleport to Deimos’ side.
”C’mon, Sah.” Noah called out when he appeared next to the Sword. Did he call me dense? Noah asked across the attuned bond before the Wild Thunder could meet them.
And if you drink the water,
It might just stop the pain
Unaware that Noah had misheard his words, Sah simply nodded and rejoined the group when called. Seeing the look on Noah's face, the Wild Thunder tilted his head in concern, "Are you ok?" He knew Noah well enough by now to read his body language to a degree. And the relaxation that he and Deimos had managed to get into him as they set out, seemed to have all but disappeared.
Confused, he glanced at Deimos, "Did I miss something?" What the hell had happened while he was looking around? At least Deimos seemed to have found a lead. Brow furrowed with confusion, Sah waited to hear what the Sword had found.
Noah’s appearance nearby, and the confusion, seemed to set off a cycle of puzzlement, perplexity, and uncertainty. He could feel it brush up against his Attuned bond, and he immediately straightened out, grew more rigid, as his brows furrowed, frame instinctively searching out the perceived threat. When it only seemed to stem from a misheard notion (for he hadn’t caught any of the latter), the Sword shook his head. Not that I am aware of. I heard dense vegetation, which was why he’d sought out this location.
Shrugging his shoulders at Sah, the Sword continued moving, allowing the Sentinel to answer the inquiry of his own stature and emotions. “Think the echoes distort statements,” was all he could convey by presumption alone, and so he started pointing out the plants nearby instead. “Found a couple of these,” pointing out the scraggly brush, and as they maneuvered onward, there would be more and more, collected in bits and pieces, then patches, somehow managing to survive in the constant press of winter.
Noah's brows furrowed more as he looked to Sah. Deimos had denied it and gave what he heard, so Noah then asked the once-wolf. "Did you call me dense, or this place?" He asked, gesturing out towards the vegetation that rolled out before them. Though, as he verbalized it and felt Deimos' own understanding of the words, Noah's face grew hot. It was obvious that as he asked his friend that what he had heard was not the truth.
Embarrassed of himself, Noah shook his head. "Nevermind. The Fangs are just playing tricks." He concluded, trying to shove away the feeling that deepened the color of his face and heightened the warmth of his entire body. "This does look like a good spot."
And if you drink the water,
It might just stop the pain
Sah paused before letting out a chuckle and nudging Noah's shoulder with his own. "I said, 'denser vegetation'." The small grin on his face turned mischievous "If I was going to insult you, I'd do it to your face." The Abandoned stifled another chuckle at his friend's embarrassment, instead giving him another playful nudge, "No worries."
Turning back at the task at hand, Sah scanned the area that Deimos had chosen, nodding in satisfaction. "This should do. Should we start digging to make sure there's ample water?" If the underground source was too deep, they'd need to find another place. Hopefully however, the plants indicated that it was close enough to the surface to be usable.
Half-tempted to tease Noah, noting the man’s embarrassment, he yielded away, averting his gaze with a slight smirk and a muffled chuckle. Token misunderstandings were to be expected, when his head and mind were deigned far, far elsewhere. So he altered the subject altogether as they glanced and looked about. “Do you or Cordelia need anything?” Truth be told, it would probably be all hands-on deck as soon as the children were there, and he’d offer much the same in the future too.
His eyes flicked back to Sah, and a steady nod launched in accord and agreement. “Sure.” From there, he extended the reach and range of the Mastered Earth in his possession, peeling back layers of frozen ground, soil, and terrain, allowing the others to take glances and study the ramparts.
02-15-2023, 06:45 PM (This post was last modified: 02-15-2023, 06:46 PM by Noah.)
NOAH
Noah shook his head, though as he looked to the Sword his eyes were full of appreciation. ”I don’t think so. It’s a waiting game now, and you know how patient the two of us are.”
Deimos, and Sah he assumed, didn’t need his help in digging up any earth. He held no mastery over the element, and he doubted he ever would. Thus far, his magical ministrations took a much more ethereal yet celestial theme. Thus, Noah did what he could. He climbed down a little closer to the area of inspection.
At first, Noah didn’t see anything worth noting. All it was was rock and stone, ice and snow, but as Deimos kept moving and working, the ground looked more moist than it did frozen. ”Go a little deeper!”
And if you drink the water,
It might just stop the pain
As Deimos worked the earth open, Sah uses his Mastered Telekinesis and Air to aid him. Between the two magics, he was able to move some of the earth. Mostly he was just able to get what had been uprooted by the Sword already, out of their way. He moved quickly, not wanting to slow Deimos down.
At Noah's call, Sah paused before doubling down on his efforts. He noticed the change in the soil and grinned as small burst of water began to bubble up. "I think we're almost there!" He called back as he continued to move excess dirt out of Deimos' way.
