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!
Breathe in all the colors Never dream in black and white
Time was a funny thing. On the one hand, it seemed that it had stood still ever since Jude had left, but on the other, it seemed that it had soldiered on quicker than Soh had dreamed possible. No matter what was going on with her personally, the world kept turning, and her duties as the Heart of Stormbreak continued along with it.
On this particular day, Soh sat in her office, poring over a stack of reports on her desk. Her council was due to arrive any minute to discuss the allocation of their region's resources, and though she had several ideas, she was eager to hear her colleagues' opinions. As the arrived, she greeted each of them in turn, rising to join them at a conference table set up elsewhere in the office. Once they were all seated, she began.
"Thank you all for coming. We have some decisions to make regarding Stormbreak's resources and how we might best utilize them this season. I have some ideas, but I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter. What do you think?"
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
The Caretaker had begun balancing her Celestine and advisor duties rather precariously, but was managing just the same. Initial political meetings, beyond those they’d had in other lands, made her somewhat apprehensive, but mostly due to initial jitters, and not quite knowing what to expect.
But nonetheless, she showed up in the Tower with notebook and writing utensils in hand, extending her greetings to everyone in turn with her usual smile, and pulled up a chair along the conference table.
Listening in as she began to take notes, she wondered why Sohalia didn’t extend her ideas, but perhaps there was consternation there too. Glancing at everyone else, Lena supposed she’d weigh in. Taking a deep breath and granting her smile again, she persisted. “What are your thoughts on harvesting resources? That way, eventually, we may begin trade with other regions.”
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Dutiful to a fault, Everest had been loitering in the Tower a good 20 minutes prior to the start time of the meeting. He waited until he saw both Sohalia and Lena enter before making his way in as well, finding that being obnoxiously early was just as bad as being late, but not wanting to risk something interfering with him arriving on time either.
Sitting near Lena and placing his own notebook on the table, the aviator folded his hands politely in his lap. "A good idea." He murmurs of the caretaker's suggestion, before putting forth his own.
"It's no surprise that Stormbreak has had its focus on...other things before you took over." Ever says, nodding to Sohalia. "Compared to Halo and Torchline, our infrastructure and city-wide offerings are quite low. I would suggest we put our focus on upgrading the city."
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
where'er the goddess turns her melancholy gaze, Man his loathsomeness displays
Anju is last to arrive, a bit harried and with soot on her face that belies the wrestling match she just had with Riya - who is suspiciously absent, having been effectively grounded to waiting outside the tower. Admittedly she doesn't want to be here so she takes her seat swiftly and tunes in immediately. This side of politics is decidedly not her forte.
"I agree with Everest," she intones after a moment of consideration. "Our resources are quite useful, and though trade is valuable, we are in peace times for now. We can strike bonds with other lands in different ways." Something she is also not volunteering for as someone who is not exactly...sociable. "Given we also had interest from civilians in improving the city when we decided on dismantling the anti-Abandoned defenses, I think we should give it more weight in terms of consideration." With more words said than she normally desires in a day, Anju subsides into quiet, hoping to return to her Captain duties soon - all the more reason she hadn't suggested training up new recruits this season. Between her, Koa, and Anna, they will be fine for now.
08-10-2023, 11:03 PM (This post was last modified: 08-10-2023, 11:03 PM by Sohalia.)
Breathe in all the colors Never dream in black and white
Soh was not what one might call a natural-born leader, but she liked to think that she was growing into her role. At the very least, Stormbreak had yet to riot under her leadership, and none of her council seemed to think that she was doing a bad job. She gave the credit, at least in part, to their advice and support; she would not be where she was without it.
So it was that, however distracting her personal life might be at present, Soh listened carefully to each of her advisors in turn as they made their suggestions. Each of their recommendations matched up with a consideration she'd had, and she was pleased to have their input and to find it so in line with her own thoughts on the matter.
"I agree," she said when Anju had finished speaking. She glanced towards Lena apologetically. "Gathering resources will be valuable, but I think at this point in time I'd rather focus inward, especially since we are trying to open our borders to more people."
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
Her considerations and input ultimately fell flat, and for a moment, she merely nodded, folding her hands together and listening. Focusing inward could’ve been harvesting their resources, especially for their people, but perhaps infrastructure and other things mattered more. Taking a few more notes, for herself and for those around her, the Caretaker smiled again, unbothered – for all of this was to forge their land onward, to improve, to grow. “What parts of the region were we hoping to improve?” Roads? Houses? She could imagine gardens – somewhere amidst the city, beyond just the Celestine – where inhabitants wouldn’t need to rely so heavily on the world beyond, and simply there, in their own backyards.
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
where'er the goddess turns her melancholy gaze, Man his loathsomeness displays
Relieved when no further focus is placed on her shoulders - nor strange stares given her way for not focusing on military advancements as their Captain - Anju relaxes slightly and her rigid form gives way to something less constipated. Lena being the one to pose the next question only makes her feel that little bit more comfortable, like she's talking to her friend instead of a group of people.
"Infrastructure has been poor since so many buildings fell in the war." Though certain buildings had been erected in time, the smaller things had been pushed to the wayside. "Repaving streets or setting up fences and rails around the Falling and other dangerous areas would be my suggestion." Mateo's suggestion during Sohalia's meeting had been a fair one, but Anju cannot think of anything they can do with merely human hands and technology that would help with the elemental problems being so high in the atmosphere creates.
Everest, ever one to err on the side of politeness, fell silent and listened as the women spoke. It wasn't clear to him when something became an argument from a simple discussion, nor when it was proper to assert that one idea was better than another in a way which wasn't personal. So, he simply nodded along almost exactly as Lena had done.
"The Righteous Road is still quite mangled from where the city lifted off." He said, trying to remain neutral and merely describing facts as he saw them. "There are also those tents and the tangle of roots around the grotto." Ever adds with a slow shrug, before looking to Anju in order to provide an explanation. "We three flew beneath the city to scout out potential areas that the dragoons might need more of a presence. Not only have the tangles become problematic for flora and fauna, but it seems that some of our citizens are making their homes beneath the city." Whether or not this was a problem, however, was not for him to say.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
Breathe in all the colors Never dream in black and white
The suggestions from her council were valuable, and Soh listened with her brows knit in concentration. Work on the roads and other infrastructure made sense, and she nodded along with her advisors' opinions on the topic. "I agree that infrastructure should be a focus. It sounds like the roads could use some work," she said, her voice thoughtful. "Perhaps that is where we should focus our efforts for now? I want to be sure that we are making progress, but not biting off more than we can chew."
As for the tents under the city, Soh frowned. "I'd like to know more about the tents before we do anything about them," she mused. "I'd like to know if people are really living there, and if so, why? Is it that we don't have enough housing in Stormbreak? Is it a financial problem? Is it a preference? Are the people there law-abiding citizens, or smugglers, or something else entirely?" She shook her head. She didn't feel that they had enough information, but perhaps one of her advisors would feel differently.
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
The only noise that came from Lena at that moment was the gentle scrawl of her pencil flying across paper as Anju and Everest brought forth their suggestions. Roads, pathways, and the like, with their abrupt movement made sense to her as well, and so she nodded, indicating her agreement and accord, once her scribing ceased. “Sounds like enough for this season. Then we could broaden our focus in the next,” if that went well, though she spared a glance towards everyone else to see if that was something surmountable.
As for the tents, she too chanced a glance at Anju. Given the lack of information they had, it would be difficult to move forward on those speculations alone. “Would you be willing to send some dragoons to investigate?” She could imagine those like Koa would be eager for the challenge.
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Sohalia's questions were good ones, though she had exactly the same amount of information as he did, given that she'd been with him (and Lena, of course) during their exploration. Because of this the aviator remained silent, hands folded politely as he glanced from Sohalia to Lena and then to Anju.
'I would be happy to show your soldiers where we were, though I wouldn't recommend taking a skyship so close to the grotto. Many of the roots would pose a threat to any safe passage." He offers politely. That said, he wouldn't speculate further as to how they might navigate the underside of the city, given that the majority of the dragoons were Accepted, and thus not able to fly as he and the others had.
If I told you that you'd do nothing with it I'd still be that cigarette that you couldn't finish
where'er the goddess turns her melancholy gaze, Man his loathsomeness displays
As the only one who hadn't been under the city, Anju focuses intently on the information she is given, getting herself up to speed. Lena and Everest both turn to her, and companionable warmth settles in her stomach. First, to Lena, she nods; "Absolutely. Our Dragoons are well-equipped to deal with both social welfare concerns and any suspicion of illegal activities." Regardless they would have to report back to Anju before proceeding with any help or more forceful evictions, so hopefully there would be little room for error.
Turning a grateful smile to Everest, Anju folds her hands in front of her. "Thank you, that would be most helpful. We may need to utilize our dragons to scout the area, or have Dragoons guide Attuned volunteers through some measure of communication device." Loathe as she is to send civilians down there, they will have to work within their means. "We should also examine the environmental necessity of the roots, and determine if they can be safely removed or pruned." Anju is rather enticed by the idea of simply burning them, but such easy solutions were rarely doable in Caido. Turning to Sohalia, she tilts her chin respectfully. "In the meantime, I will help coordinate any soldiers who cannot aid us in the grotto to begin scouting roads that need the most repairs."
Breathe in all the colors Never dream in black and white
Soh listened to her advisors with pride as they discussed the problems plaguing the region - but not as though they were problems, exactly, but as though they were simply items that needed to be solved. The solutions, too, were within their grasp, and Soh was mostly silent as the group conversed. "I'll be happy to assist the Dragoons as much as I can. I can make a sketch of what I can remember of the tents beneath the city. Perhaps having even a semblance of a map would be beneficial in directing their efforts." And she'd be a willing volunteer, too, if it came down to it. She may be Stormbreak's Heart, but she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, and she was loathe to ask her citizens to do anything that she wouldn't do herself.
"It sounds like we stand ready to move on both of these concerns. We'll focus our efforts this season on repairing roads, and we will investigate the tents beneath the city." She paused for a moment, tapping her fingers on the table. "I think that's everything for now. Thank you all for coming, and for a wonderful discussion." She smiled, already looking forward to their next meeting. "If anything else comes up, please don't hesitate to let me know."
