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!
06-17-2023, 03:55 AM (This post was last modified: 07-04-2023, 01:05 AM by Calliope.)
it's not the diamonds, it's not the pearls
Calliope was a little nervous as she swam up to the merfolk entrance to the Hanged Man. It was her first gig in front of a bunch of humans, and she wanted so badly to do well. More than that, she really wanted to wow the crowd, to leave her name on their lips for days to come. Her performance time was early; the sun was just coming down to match the lighting inside the bar.
She swam up past the bar for merfolk and towards the stage that hung over the water, a simple wooden construction that she could lift herself onto and sit. There weren’t many patrons as it was still early in the evening; she didn’t know whether she was relieved or disappointed about this. Perhaps a little bit of both. She wore a glittering costume that caught the light at every angle; as she pulled out her lyre, it glittered along with the rest of her. Looking around, she saw no sign of the tavern-owner, Flora, so she guessed she could just start on her own. People had noticed her arrival, but most were still minding their own business. Since it was early in the night, Calliope figured she would warm up with a short little ditty. Her fingers strummed across the lyre once, then she started.
“Too little are your letters to me
Too young are your wily words
Turn round, right, left, right, round again
Then you might know my worth.
When rivers stop running and streams are bare
Will you start loving me then?
I’d rather rely on a sunfish that flies
Than trust in you again!”
Fresh from the absolute joyride that was going to the Hollowed Grounds (sarcasm), the Honeybee figured she could start early on the drinks. Dragging herself, Sila, and Fangorn into the Hanged Man, she flumped over on one of the tables, stretching out a hand, waiting for someone to put something in it. Moments later, one of the waitresses snorted, and poured Melita one of her usuals, leaving it in the youth’s grasp and walking away.
The only other thing that caught the Accepted’s attention was a sudden lyre being strummed. Blinking, and eventually rising from her dramatic flounce, her tired eyes narrowed in on the mermaid – someone she’d never seen before – and the entertainment. Snagging some snacks for Sila and Fangorn, she sipped at her beer, pondering the words, lyrics, and phrases. She’d never been much for music – and couldn’t carry a gods damned tune – but the stanzas sounded bitter.
Nice.
So she clapped amidst the others, encouraging further rancor.
This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight
Calliope smiled as the crowd clapped lightly after she finished, pleased that they seemed pleased with her performance. She figured she ought to introduce herself before continuing, especially now that much of the room's attention was upon her.
"Good evening, everyone! I hope you're enjoying your night so far at the Hanged Man," her voice projected across the room, melodic and unobtrusive, yet arresting. "My name is Calliope, and it is my pleasure to perform for you tonight. The next song is a sweet one, so if there are any lovers in the room, this is for you." Calliope gave a saccharine smile before she launched into a slower song, relatively short but with beautiful language that evoked the longing between lovers who must be apart. It had a happy ending, with the lovers reuniting in joyous crescendo. Calliope caught her breath as she finished, enjoying the light clapping in response.
She looked about the room and spotted a woman with red hair, sitting alone at a table and watching Calliope. "Would you like to make a request, darling?" she said on impulse, opening her arms to invite the woman to speak.
With the next song being mentioned as sweet, Melita begrudgingly listened, but mostly returned to her food and drink. She did think it was neat, however, that the Mers were capable of performing here now, rather than keeping all their talent down in the depths. She’d have to mention it to Hadama next time she saw him.
Breaking off a few bits and bobs for Sila and Fangorn to mull and chew over, she hadn’t expected attention to unfurl back to her – and blinked stupidly back at the crowd, and Calliope, before realizing she was being spoken to. “Oh, um…,” she paused, wracking her brain for some coherent notions. “Sure.” The pondering drew straight to impulsive notions, so her features altered to a smile; Cheshire and all. “How about something angry?”
This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight
From the corner of the room a massive wine-spider scurries. Running toward you, it tries its best to crawl up your leg, hovering against you for warmth. Clearly something has startled it. Poor thing.
This is not a RE nor a rare creature. It cannot be used for levelling.
Wine Spider: These friendly arachnids can grow up to the size of a small housecat. With fuzzy bodies and spindly legs, they are often found lurking around wine racks or kegs of beer. They are almost always drunk, hiccuping and stumbling about. It is said that finding a baby wine spider in your drink is a lucky omen!
07-22-2023, 12:55 AM (This post was last modified: 07-22-2023, 12:55 AM by Calliope.)
it's not the diamonds, it's not the pearls
Calliope is taken a bit off-guard by the request due to its unusual nature. Well, everyone has their tastes. She takes a moment to think of a good one, smiling at the woman and saying in the meantime,
"Something angry, you say... Is someone feeling bitter tonight?" she says this teasingly, the lights dancing in her eyes before she turns back to the rest of the tavern patrons. She has decided which song she will sing, and she strums her lyre in a warm-up. She takes a breath, about to start, before she sees some movement that distracts her.
It's a large, black thing with many legs, moving much too quickly for Calliope's comfort. She can't help but let out a scream of fright as she realizes it's a massive spider, and it has crawled up the poor red-haired woman's leg. Performing the song is completely out of her head now as she tenses up on her perch, knowing she can't do much to help and already deciding that she will go back in the ocean if that thing gets closer to her.
“Nah. Just the vibe,” and she winked, wrinkling her nose. The Honeybee could always find a way to become enraged. Taking a sip of her drink, completely unbothered, she didn’t notice the wine spider scurrying her way.
Or up her leg.
Ordinarily, she might have shrieked, or shoved it off of her limb. Sent it flying off into the crowd elsewhere.
But not to worry – because vampire gourds and small dragons had a knack for devouring such creatures. And perhaps someone should’ve pitied the arachnid, but it also should’ve known better than to beeline its way towards Melita and her crew.
Fangorn pried it with his long vines, and immediately placed it in his mouth – whole and all, with an audible crunch.
“Well,” the youth muttered, uncertain if she felt sorry for the thing, but it was too late for much more than a quick scratch on the companion’s head. “Gone now!”
This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight
