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!
Lena hopped around, shuffling herself to portions of the boat not covered by sludge. First the seat, intending to stretch out one foot and talon to poke at the fixtures. It stuck to one of them, and so she could be seen shaking it off, rather foolishly, wings unfurling and fluffing until she’d finished.
She wasn’t about to taste it either, and clicked her beak once or twice in the notions of unsavory flavors.
Sohalia’s words across the Attuned portions made sense, though the Caretaker kept glancing upward too, just in case. Or someone was drinking far too much of this.
we are more weather pattern than stone monument sunlight on mist; summer lightning
Left and right, right to left. The eagle felt more than useless in his current capacity to help, though, given the reports from the other two avians, it didn't strike him that the boat needed their immediate attention. Is there any immediate danger that you can see? The broken glass wasn't something any of them could deal with right now, but if the boat didn't look as though it was going to fall, and if no one around seemed to be injured?
That this was a potential flying accident had the aviator's mind reeling. Had the pilot found safety? Had they been intoxicated? Let's note that the tangled roots do provide a clear hazard for sky vessels that come too close. Also, alcohol could potentially have been a factor here.
Banking to one side, the eagle's predatory gaze locked onto movement on the eastern side of the city. I think I see something. Ever thought, his mental voice caught between the excitement of possibly being useful and wariness as to why anyone else should be down here.
Or is there more you would like to look at here?
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
So much time on the other side Waiting for you to wake up
The little skyboat was a conundrum, to be sure. How it had gotten there, and how its pilot had managed to get off, was a mystery. Soh didn't like to think of what might have happened, had alcohol been a factor in the dinghy's crash; a drunken pilot could easily have fallen to their death. No, she preferred very much to leave the little boat to its fate, tangled in the roots of the Grotto where it couldn't hurt anyone.
So when Everest suggested checking something out elsewhere, Soh was more than happy to join him. Where? she asked eagerly, leaping from her perch to join Ever in the sky. I don't think we can do anything more with the skyboat, do you, Lena? The most she could think of was to send a very skilled pilot - in human form - to come and clean the debris of the crash, but it hardly seemed worth it when the boat seemed moored firmly in the roots.
Maybe I'll see you in another life If this one wasn't enough
No, she offered in agreement, uncertain what else could be done. Short of striving to dismantle it (and that would’ve been a challenge as birds lacking thumbs), it would have to be left to its lonesome for another time and place. Maybe one of the dragoons could retrieve it, or the pilot – wherever they had ended up.
Leaving that silent and bizarre circumstance to the immediate past, the woman’s sights wandered back and forth over other nuances, but she couldn’t see anything else that she’d register as threatening or troubling. Fluffing her feathers back into place and withholding a sigh, the Caretaker’s attention meandered back to Everest’s voice – with a spark of interest and intrigue sharpening its way through the Attuned bond. What do you see?
we are more weather pattern than stone monument sunlight on mist; summer lightning
Making more than a few mental notes about how to prevent an accident like this from occurring again as well as thinking up ways in which the small boat could be retrieved, Everest continues to keep his eyes locked on the flash of movement as he sways on the thermals. It looked...it looked like someone flying on a carpet, with...a box? That was as specific as he could be just now given he wasn't one to make assumptions.
I can fly ahead. If it isn't safe, I will let you know. Descending a few feet away from the tangle of roots, the eagle flaps his powerful wings and puts instant distance between himself and his smaller counterparts. Flying east, it became clear that yes, it was carpet. A flying carpet, as it happened, and the box he'd seen was some sort of treasure chest.
Given that eagles were not uncommon in this area, the Smuggler paid Everest no mind.
For now.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
So much time on the other side Waiting for you to wake up
Back in the air, Soh pumped her wings to keep afloat in the warm thermals beneath Stormbreak. With it being harder than usual to fly, it took up more of her concentration to remain airborne. She might have cautioned Everest against going ahead alone, but by the time she though to call him back, he had already scouted ahead. She peered after him, keen eyes finding the movement that he had seen from afar. It did indeed look like a flying carpet, and she tilted her head to one side in confusion. What in Caido was a carpet doing flying about the Grotto?
Of course, as she drew closer and noted the treasure chest, it became apparent: they'd run into a smuggler. And while the smuggler might not have thought twice about a single eagle, it was entirely likely that they would notice a snowy owl and a Galah cockatoo floating around where they shouldn't be. Be careful she called through the bond. If he sees Lena and I, he might be suspicious.
------
Soh follows Ever and advises caution.
Maybe I'll see you in another life If this one wasn't enough
Lena had lived her entire life in Stormbreak – and therefore, had never seen a man flying on a carpet. Especially with a box.
Eyes widening, her eyes strived to catch the exact image, just for curiosity’s sake, but standing amidst the roots, talons firmly holding onto their warren network. Until, of course, everyone else left and scouted ahead, and her rosy little wings unfurled to follow along on thermals.
Smugglers hadn’t been much of a notion either, and now she wondered just what exactly they’d be able to do if something problematic occurred. Shifting away from the group, and only slightly, so they didn’t appear to be bunched up and together in some bizarre avian trio, she took the hints. And what will we do if it isn’t safe?
we are more weather pattern than stone monument sunlight on mist; summer lightning
Everest was whatever the opposite of a hero was. He didn't rush headlong into danger, didn't willingly put himself into compromising situations and preferred to be a footnote in a story rather than any of the A or B list characters. Unsurprisingly as his counterparts voiced their concerns, Everest found himself banking sharply away from the would-be smuggler to give them time to consider the situation more carefully.
We could...make a note that this area is potentially being used as a smuggling port of call and return back with some of the dragoons? Well, he didn't want to return back, but certainly someone should.
Making another pass back vaguely toward the smuggler, the eagle fixes its gaze upon the carpet and its rider. It doesn't look like they're doing anything immediately dangerous.. He adds, the lingering question in his voice of should we stay or go? something he'd leave up to Sohalia and Lena.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
So much time on the other side Waiting for you to wake up
It seemed that Soh wasn't the only one hesitant to explore further; Everest banked from his trajectory to circle back towards she and Lena. In normal circumstances, she might have been tempted to approach the supposed smuggler, but as birds? What were three birds going to do against a man on a flying carpet? In Soh's mind, there were too many things that could go wrong. The smuggler could hurt one of them; they could startle him into falling off his carpet; he could fly away never to be seen again; and she was sure there were more.
Instead, she sent a pulse of hesitation through the bond. I think bringing Dragoons back would be a good idea, she said. I'm not sure what we would be able to do, as birds.
------
Soh suggests leaving the smuggler be and sending Dragoons back later.
Maybe I'll see you in another life If this one wasn't enough
Lena was a Caretaker, a mender, a soother, a healer. The only time she’d ever rushed headlong into anything battle-worthy had been to salvage and save. And while perhaps they could’ve pecked and lunged and flapped their wings in front of the smuggler’s features, she wasn’t certain what they’d be trying to achieve, nor cease and stop him from doing anything. It’d be much more likely that they’d be hurt, and she was certain that wasn’t the purpose for today. Pass it on to the Dragoons, she agreed a bit more readily, eyeing the man warily from the corner of her eyes.
we are more weather pattern than stone monument sunlight on mist; summer lightning
That seems wise. Everest agrees, not bothering to smooth away the barbs of relief that prickle through his mental voice. The city had Dragoons for a reason after all, and the aviator needn't feel guilty for calling upon their services. That he did was just an unfortunate personality quirk.
Perhaps we should fly beneath the Celestine just to ensure all is well there? Said mostly to Lena, though the aviator couldn't think of a reason why the caretaker would object, he'd nevertheless wait for her go ahead. Should they proceed, the trio would find an interesting array of potential things they could investigate.
One of the enclosures appeared not to be leaking, but to have developed its own waterfall such that a vast stream was pouring down.
A group of recuperating alpina could be seen on the underside of the grotto; given how easily the alpine goats could walk on any surface, they didn't seem bothered at all by the roots and seemed quite at ease despite the gravity-defying angles on which they moved.
A vast ecosystem of plants that looked as though they came from the Oerwoud had also spilled into the grotto from above, boasting colourful flora and likely hiding a variety of creatures within.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
So much time on the other side Waiting for you to wake up
With that matter settled, Soh banked away from the smuggler, making a mental note of their approximate location on the map of Stormbreak she carried in her mind. Perhaps it would be useful to map the underside of the region as well as the overhead view - something that she considered with a spark of excitement. Perhaps if she asked Tal or Mateo for a skyship ride...
But that was something to consider another time. For now, it was time to focus on their mission. And at this moment, that meant flying beneath the Celestine. There was a stream of water pouring from one enclosure, a group of alpina hanging out on the roots, and a massive field of plants that looked like they were fro the Oerwoud. Soh, of course, was drawn to the latter; the Oerwoud was perhaps her favorite place in Caido, second only to home, and she was eager to see what lay within the plants that spilled from beneath the Celestine.
Still, in this, she would defer to Lena; this was the underside of the Caretaker's domain, after all. What do you think, Lena?
Maybe I'll see you in another life If this one wasn't enough
Lena would never object to traversing towards her beloved Celestine, and with an affirming nod and a bristling of excitement echoed throughout a merry little trill Of course!, she followed after brown feathers and snow-white plumage. Perhaps it was the upcoming familiarity bringing her comfort, or the notions that they wouldn’t be the one chasing or deriving an altercation with the smuggler.
She nearly snorted at the alpinas, neither surprised or shocked, shaking her avian head, and while she thought the plants would be intriguing, it was the pouring of water – streamlined all on its own – that held her attention. I’d like to check out the waterfall, if everyone else is fine with that.
we are more weather pattern than stone monument sunlight on mist; summer lightning
Fine with me, Everest agrees, banking toward the rush of water.
The closer the trio fly the larger the waterfall looms. Without much of anything to provide scale from the underside of the city, it's only as they get near that they're able to see just how much water was escaping from the enclosure above. Though, given its magical properties and since Lena hadn't noticed anything amiss previously, likely the water levels in the enclosure were remaining steady.
Seemingly with a gravity and current that defied physics, the three birds would be able to see fish swimming in the water. Are...those special fish? Ever wonders toward Lena, and though he was unable to cock his head without throwing off his flight patterns, there was a keen note of interest in his mental voice. What enclosure is above us? Do you know?
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
