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!
So much time on the other side Waiting for you to wake up
The group banked towards the waterfall, Soh falling back a little to allow Lena the lead, should she wish to take it. This was, after all, Lena's domain. Interestingly, as they grew closer, Soh could see the shapes of things moving in the water, and she blinked several times as they approached the running water as though to clear her sight. Surely she couldn't be seeing what she thought she was seeing. But there they were, as plain as day: fish, swimming in the waterfall, defying every law of physics that Soh had ever been aware of.
She couldn't identify what kind of fish they were, but she assumed that they must be something special if they were able to survive in this waterfall from the Celestine, and she waited in silence for Lena to respond, circling the waterfall curiously as she did so.
Maybe I'll see you in another life If this one wasn't enough
Utterly delighted by what she saw, including the fish swimming upwards and defying all manner of gravity, the Caretaker swooped upward, carefully investigating. I’m not sure. I haven’t seen anything like this before, she answered, but they must’ve been – considering their current lot in life.
Thereafter though, she was immediately distracted by the next question. Soaring as her eyes scoured and delved, a flutter of pink and grey wings took on a few more warm thermals, twisting her head back and forth. Either something similar to the Oerwoud or the Greatwood, considering the way the water poured, and the properties contained. Some of the plants nearby could be sweetgrass.
we are more weather pattern than stone monument sunlight on mist; summer lightning
Banking far more widely than his smaller companions, Ever too is able to see the fish swimming in the downpour. The avian part of his mind wonders if, with enough speed if he couldn't simply shoot himself through the water and capture one with his talons, but that idea was quickly extinguished.
Sounds like the Greatwood. The eagle thinks, if only because it was the only place he'd seen Sweetgrass before. Does this look like it's a problem, Lena? Everest wonders, deferring to the Caretaker's expertise as to whether or not this waterfall required their immediate attention.
If not I wonder if we shouldn't take a tour beneath the Silk Houses. I am not sure how close we should get, but it seems to me that if there was going to be anything warranting some oversight, it might be there.
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 was fascinating, how little bits and pieces of other regions could make their way to the roots and stones beneath Stormbreak, but here they were, plain as day. Soh didn't quite understand how the waterfall had come to be, or where the fish that even Lena had never heard of had come from, but she knew that it was a marvel, and she was more than happy to simply admire it for a moment.
At least until Everest suggested that they continue, and then she remembered where she was and what she was doing, and then she sent a pulse of agreement through the bond to her companions. I think that's a good idea, she said. After all, the Silk Houses on the surface of Stormbreak had their share of problems, and it made sense that they might be issues on the underside of the region as well.
Maybe I'll see you in another life If this one wasn't enough
Was the waterfall an issue? I don’t think so. It, and its inhabitants, seemed to be functioning well on their own – but she made several mental notes on it, intending to investigate into the fish, and the elements’ abilities, later on, when they’d returned to firmer lands and grounds.
A flight towards the Silk Houses seemed to be in order, and the Caretaker nodded alongside her avian brethren, curiosity clinging again across the bond. Sure. They’d already seen quite a few different pieces – some alarming, some not, and Lena couldn’t be certain what would linger beneath that portion’s plazas either.
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Alright, not one to question the expertise of others, the eagle gives a little trill of agreement before banking away from the waterfall and its strange properties.
Trying to keep his speed at one that his smaller companions could match without too much effort, Everest found himself banking back and forth lazily beneath the grotto in order to not distance himself. Offering to stop for breaks given how far the Silk Houses were from the Celestine, when the trio finally made it the sun had already dipped several degrees toward the horizon line.
Perhaps we should make this our last stop for the day. He suggests as they near.
Though birds do not have the keenest sense of smell, the perfumed air would be noticeable even to them given how thick it was. All sorts of things were caught in the tangled roots here, some clearly intentional, and some simply blown and held there by the wind. Of note there was:
1. A cluster of what appear to be tents, hung by ropes from the thickest roots.
2. A ladder descending down about 20ft or so with a trapdoor at the top.
3. A large nest? den? of Mata Mata.
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
Soh hadn't flown this much in quite some time, and so the breaks offered by Everest were welcome as they made their way from the Celestine to the Silk Houses. It was quite far, and by the time they arrived, Soh was just beginning to wonder how easily she'd be able to fly back above. It was harder than usual, flying under Stormbreak, what with the warm currents and struggling to stay aloft. It was much easier when she could simply drift with the wind.
The perfume of the Silk Houses was thick enough even for the birds to smell, and had she been human, Soh might have wrinkled her nose against the strength of the myriad scents. As it was, she observed the strange assortment of things caught in the gnarled roots below their region with curiosity. The large nest-den of Mata Mata was intriguing, but not entirely surprising given that they were native to Stormbreak. The ladder with the trapdoor was interesting as well, and Soh imagined that perhaps it was a way for one of the bars or brothels above to engage in illicit activities in the Grotto. That might be worth sending some Dragoons to check out, and Soh said as much to her friends. That trapdoor might lead to one of the businesses in the Silk Houses. It wouldn't surprise me for some smuggling to be going in or out of the district, she said. Maybe we should report that to the Dragoons as well?
Maybe I'll see you in another life If this one wasn't enough
Content to fly for eternities, or at least until something else pulled her away, the rush of wings, feathers, air, and thermals brushed against her soul and enlightened it all. A semblance and taste of freedom, liberation along the earth, until the horizon etched its way into near sunset, and their tasks were drawing to a close.
But not before other curious things it seemed.
The trapdoor intrigued her, and clearly Sohalia as well. I wonder if the tents have a connection to smuggling too? Where they might all be hiding out? Lingering, waiting for opportunities? The Mata Mata drew her eyes too, and she found herself very sidetracked.
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I bet Mateo would know. Everest chimes in, assuming the botanist would have a good idea of who would use such a ladder, or at least who to ask about it. Glancing between the ladder and the tents, the eagle banked on one of the thermals and drew slightly closer. I can't land, but if you two want to, the ladder looks fairly stable. He offers, before shifting his angle somewhat. If you do, you might be able to get an idea of what's above it.
If they did, they'd see a mark on the door in white. Was it an elk? a luxere?
Such a strange place to want to live... Ever thinks, before wondering if that would come across as judgemental or rude to the other two and immediately trying to cover it up. Only because the city above has so much to offer and more than enough housing.
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
Soh banked towards the ladder with a mental shrug; it certainly wouldn't hurt to land for a moment, or to check out the trap door more closely. So she landed, balancing precariously on the ladder and peering up at the door. There's some kind of symbol on it, she reported to Everest. It looks like some kind of... deer? Elk? It's white. Maybe a luxere?
She regarded the tents a moment later, not taking offense to Ever's observation. It was a strange place to want to live, available housing above or no. So, smugglers, then? Someone else operating outside the law? It's almost like it's a refuge or some sort. Somewhere to hide away from up above. But a refuge for who?
Maybe I'll see you in another life If this one wasn't enough
In her ever agreeable form, the Caretaker landed upon the ladder, talons clutching over the wooden railings with ease. Glancing all around, the mark on the door – ivory, elk, luxere ish, drew her closer, inspecting with her avian eyes. I wonder if it’s a mark of a group? Would smugglers designate their parties? Tell them where to go? Or where it was safe?
It still pointing in her heart towards the latter, and that more matters needed to be sorted out with the Dragoons. And how long this has been here. They’d certainly had to time to build, and especially out of mindful, watchful gazes of guards and the like. Concern began to press along the edges of her nerves; mildly, pondering over how far these estimations and presumptions might range.
we are more weather pattern than stone monument sunlight on mist; summer lightning
Hmmmmmmmm. Ever, who was not as familiar with the Silk Houses and all the establishments therein, had no idea what the symbol might be referencing. I suppose since the dragoons are all accepted, they thought it a good place to hide away from them. Sure the soldiers could send their dragons down, but the companions were likely not a threat to the nefarious activities that potentially were conducted down here.
Glancing toward Sohalia, Everest offers a mental shrug. I know Koa was looking to...possibly expand the ranks of the dragoons. Given Stormbreak's recent political shifts, it seemed to make sense to welcome other races into their ranks.
I can see conducting business in the Grotto, but living here...? Truly, the eagle doesn't understand it.
Should we get closer, or leave them be? He wonders of the suspended tents.
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
Soh hadn't thought of the Grotto being a good place to hide from the Dragoons because they were all Accepted, but she supposed that Ever made a good point. Without the ability to fly, like Soh and her companions, it likely was a good place to conduct one's illicit affairs - especially in places like this, which seemed to only be accessible by flight or by coming through the trapdoor above.
Had she been human, she might have pursed her lips in thought. As it was, Soh merely tilted her head, looking at the symbol on the door once more. She wondered briefly if she could shift into a human (precariously) and climb up to see where it led, but that seemed ill-advised, so she returned Ever's mental shrug. Expanding the Dragoons is a good idea, she agreed, studiously shielding the way her heart twisted at the mention of Koa from her companions. Perhaps this is something else to mark down for them to investigate.
As for getting closer to the tents, Soh wavered between going closer and staying away. Maybe a little closer? Not too deep into them, but enough to see if we can tell what or who is inside?
Maybe I'll see you in another life If this one wasn't enough
Hidden and tucked away from most, the Caretaker thought it’d be a sufficient place – right under noses of the general public. It seemed the Dragoons were going to have quite a bit of investigating to do, but she trusted the multitudes to be able to handle the situation.
Fluffing her feathers and coasting back around, she pondered over the complexities too. If something was in there, would they be able to evade or escape in time? Only a little closer she agreed, based on curiosity alone – trying to stifle the apprehension curling over her small and petite frame, or meandering out into the rest of their bonds. Additional information would could only be beneficial, right?
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