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!
It was the stuff of nightmares for any merfolk: the endless stretch of hot, dry sand promising a death both swift and excruciatingly painful to any of his people who somehow ended up there. Hak Etme - like the Climb - was a void on merfolk maps, sometimes populated by imaginative monsters and the ominous words Here be dragons.
But the world had changed, and so had the maps. And so, it seemed, had the desert. Or at least one corner of it.
Gathering his courage and bracing himself for the test that Safrin's demigod had requested of him, Hadama Aquaported to the Suvahasi at the designated time. He arrived with no fanfare beyond a low wave of displaced water that rippled out from the deep pool of the tropical oasis and a clenched jaw beneath his stoic expression. His tension turned to surprise, however, at the humid jungle that crowded the edges of the water, and for one disorienting moment he wondered if he had somehow mis-jumped and ended up in the Oerwoud instead.
"Ronin...?" he rumbled, his deep voice containing an uncharacteristic note of uncertainty as he circled the pool slowly, trying to get his bearings.
"Hey." Ronin's voice is as cheerful as his smile, the Nova sitting comfortably at the edge of the tropical pool, barefoot and with his pants rolled to the knee. It will be Deepfrost within a mere few days, so he's making the most of this lingering heat in the hope that it might carry him through into Caido's coldest season.
"I'm glad you could make it," he continues. "It's different, right?" Unaware that Hadama has been seeing this as a test of some sort, Ronin is content merely to be somewhere different, wiggling his toes in waters that belong to the desert, even though they feel as though they shouldn't.
Hadama relaxed as the Supernova's voice revealed his presence, no longer worried that his magic had malfunctioned. He swim over to the ruggedly handsome human at a leisurely pace and settled nearby, chest and shoulders in the warm, humid air of the oasis and tail trailing along the bottom of the pool. Ronin's words drew a rumbling hum from the mermanta as he tilted his head and looked around again, this time with more attention to detail. "Hmmm. Indeed," he agreed, voice slow and thoughtful. "It is... unexpected."
He turned his attention back to his companion for the day, regarding Ronin with calm green eyes as bright as some of the toxic foliage around them. "Thank you for coming. I have questions I hope you will answer. About what it is like to be a demigod. And what duties are expected of you?" By Safrin in particular, or the gods in general.
"Hopefully not unpleasantly so," Ronin adds of the unexpected nature of the oasis, the Nova reaching across to snack a bottle of something sweet and dark and alcoholic from a bag nearby, uncorking it and taking a sip before offering it out to Hadama. Kicking his feet gently in the water, he doesn't expect the mermanta to get right down to business so abruptly, but settles in his spot nonetheless to answer as best he can.
"Mm... well, do you mean what it is like for me? Or what it's like in general? It's a very personal thing, from my experience. Remi's duties to Ludo are completely different from my duties to Safrin, for example. And Sunjata's to Frey are likely something else entirely, as well." In general terms, not being a dick and helping out their respective pantheons seems to be the norm, though.
bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones, bones.
You've encountered the OG random event! This allows you to skip one levelling requirement with the character in this thread. (Unfortunately does not count for characters over level 10, how sad.)
"No... it is not unpleasant," the mermanta agreed, speaking slowly as if he was testing the words to test their truthfulness. Indeed, it was nothing like the desert he had heard tales of. The Suvahasi's warm waters were pleasant and clear and deep enough for comfort, though some of the overhanging vegetation reminded him more of the flora native to Metacarpal Isle than to the Oerwoud, on closer inspection.
He swam close enough to take the bottle with a nod of thanks, taking a polite sip and then a larger drink as the sweet alcohol burned pleasantly down his throat. He moved to the edge of the oasis, beaching himself in the shallows but it made it easier to set the bottle between them as he settled back on his elbows to contemplate Ronin's answers - and clarifications - to his questions.
"Mmm. Both. But especially what it is like for you. Serving Safrin." He turned his head to look over to the Supernova with solemn emerald eyes. "She has told me to meditate on my future. And how I wish to serve her in it."
Contentedly taking the bottle back for another drink as Hadama considers all he has to say, the Nova does raise his eyebrows at the clarification he offers. "I would have thought your future was quite clear," he says with a cheerful smile. "You are leader of Torchline, a region wholly devoted to Safrin and her stars. I should imagine she is very pleased with you." And here he lifts the bottle as if in a toast to Hadama.
But the mermanta had asked, and so Ronin will answer. "It feels slightly different for me, because of the way I was made into Safrin's demigod," he confesses. "I was reborn as her star; her champion, as I've come to understand it." Though they've never officially put names to it, he supposes.
"I'm wholly devoted to her. There is very little I would deny her, and even then, I would do so knowing and accepting whatever consequences she gave out. As of right now, my duties are to shine, to put it in a colourful way." He chuckles. "Our lady of the stars does not like to hide her power, or for those she shares it with to be tucked away in the shadows. I've been helping regions in her name since I came down from the Cordillera."
Hadama inclined his head in contented agreement of Ronin's analysis. Given the information he had shared so far it was a sensible one, and he certainly appreciated the kind implications in the Nova's words. He didn't clarify his own meaning immediately, however, focusing instead on the other man's experiences and thoughts on his place as Safrin's chosen.
And to hear confirmation that Ronin was her first and chosen champion - at least in the current generation - seemed to bring the mermanta some measure of reassurance. "Your help has been appreciated," Hadama agreed with a nod of gratitude. "As has Safrin's."Shining did not sound like a terrible task to be given, especially when one was already inclined towards helping others.
He was quiet for a little while again, sharing drinks from the bottle and the congenial company before he spoke again. His expression was more sober and his words slower as he chose them with care. "Do you have any regrets about being a demigod?" He tilted his head in acknowledgment of Ronin's unique circumstances; being resurrected rather than being free to decide without pressure certainly made their situations different. When the other alternative was death... "I have been given a choice. To serve Safrin as you do, or as Deimos does."
Having almost expected the next set of questions, Ronin is letting his feet trail through the water and watching the ripples span out across the oasis when Hadama next speaks. "None," he says honestly. "Becoming a demigod allowed me more time with my daughter. It let me find the love of my life and watch my son grow up." And that's just the tip of the iceberg, though those are arguably the most important parts.
"But that's not to say there aren't negatives." Different to regrets, they are nonetheless all part of being what he is. "It isn't something you can walk away from - just ask Sunjata," he says. "Your motives are no longer entirely your own. What I want is inexorably tied to what Safrin needs, and what she needs takes precedent unless I'm willing to accept the repercussions." And Safrin is a fan of removing his power when displeased, he's found.
Then, of course, Hadama speaks plain, and it's the entirely wrong season (still Leafchange, whoops) for Ronin to hear such news. At any other time an additional demigod in his goddess's corner might have earned a quip or two at most, but with the worst of his shifts bleeding into his instincts, this feels close to Hadama bullying his way into territory that Ronin sees as his own.
Thankfully, the Nova reacts merely with a raise of his eyebrows - a silent do you think you can? Serve her as I do, that is - before clearing his throat and trying to squash down the knee jerk reaction. "Interesting," he murmurs. "Hence your scoping out the options?" He wonders if Hadama is speaking to Deimos, too.
Though he had heard of the Nova's more legendary adventures - fighting Wars, leading regions, and fighting monsters that threatened Caido - Hadama knew little of Ronin's personal history and private life. He nodded slowly as the list of blessings grew, but the other man's honesty as he continued was compelling and the mermanta stayed quiet as the downsides to pledging one's soul to a deity were iterated.
Or, perhaps not downsides but... complications. It bore a great deal of deep thought and his serene expression grew solemn as his tail flicked slowly from side to side in the water.
Ignorant of one of the other side effects of Ronin's demigodhood and shift - Hadama had never seen a luxere himself - he didn't realize how closely he was treading water next to a stonefish. He accepted the Supernova's skepticism calmly, tilting his head in silent acknowledgment of the raised brows. "I will serve her regardless. In many ways it is an easy choice. But she tasked me to meditate on it, and I will not choose lightly." Not without fully understanding what was offered, and what it cost. If he chose the path to demigodhood it would not be in the heat of the moment, but with awareness of what it entailed and no regrets.
He looked back out over the blue waters and multi-colored foliage surrounding the oasis, forming the words carefully before he spoke them. "I would serve Safrin and rule Torchline," he admitted. "But if she called me away from leadership, I trust Harper to hold the region. However... I would worry for the Mer. That is the choice I fear most." To be caught between his loyalty and duty to his goddess and to his people.
Humming out his acknowledgement and taking another drink of wine to make sure his hands have something to do, Ronin gives his pricklier instincts time to lower their hackles before he speaks again. "You've always been one to look before you leap. I quite like that about you," he admits, and it's not even because such patience might sway him away from demigodhood and stepping on (rightly or wrongly) what some bull-headed (stag-headed?) part of him believes is his territory.
Mention of the Mer is unexpected though it really shouldn't have been, Ronin furrowing his brow. "Have you no council who could run things in the city in your absence?" he asks. "...In my experience, at least, I find you'll probably get a better answer if you ask how you might solve such a problem, rather than what about it?" That is, if he plans to even bring such a matter to Safrin.
"Either that, or... well, Harper is Attuned, isn't he? If he has an aquatic shift could he keep both running...?"
For whatever reason Ronin needed some quiet to settle himself, Hadama was content to give it to him. The heat of the oasis was pleasant, as was the humidity for the Mer. He hadn't expected the observation that broke the silence, but he took it as a compliment and tilted his head in acceptance of the kind words - whatever had inspired them.
Ronin was also a good listener, and the mermanta found himself sharing some of his fears with the man, ones he had barely begun to form from the slow whirlpool of emotions that had been turning in his heart since his meeting with Safrin. He nodded thoughtfully at the other man's words, but at the mention of Harper he had to shake his head. "Not yet," he admitted, voice a low rumble. "Though I hope someday he will discover one." It would make things much easier if it happened. "We have a court, undersea, and a council. But they do not make decisions swiftly without someone to cut through the kelp." He slanted a glance towards Ronin, a flicker of wry humor in the Bond. "I have heard that politics is the same in other regions?"
"Almost unusual for a Torcher," Ronin remarks of Harper and his lack of an aquatic shift, but Hadama is right - he could always yet discover one. And at least there is a court beneath the waves, though as the Mer rightly points out, it comes with its own issues. Barking out a laugh, Ronin can't help his very understanding nod.
"My easiest stint in leadership was in Stormbreak," he admits, "and the only person I had to answer to was myself." Sure, it meant that if he left the region it was forced to cope alone, but it also meant that he was the only one responsible for putting contingency plans in place. "I don't miss it though - leading in general." He never has; some might argue that's why he always finds himself in such positions.
"Whatever you choose, I think you'll thrive with it. And kudos for taking the time to think about it - a lot of people go into this on the flip of a coin, it feels like."
Hadama tilted his head in acknowledgment of Ronin's words without offering agreement or disagreement. Like many of Caido's leaders in recent years, Harper wasn't native to Torchline and only time would reveal what shapes his soul might still take. The trials and tribulations of politics, however, seemed to be universal regardless of region or world and the mermanta was rewarded with Ronin's laughter at his hanging question.
Something slid by his tail and Hadama glanced down to note the small fish that was nibbling at some underwater plants. Its own life was certainly less complicated, being in charge of no one but itself, and when he raised his head again to observe Ronin's expression it was with a pulse of understanding in the Bond. "It can be stressful," he noted. "But I would not change my decision to become King." Not the decision he had made before the War to lead the Mer, nor the one he had made when Maeve stepped down and he had assumed responsibility for all of Torchline for a time. His shoulders were broad and he bore the weight willingly.
Ronin's praise was still welcome, however, and Hadama leaned back against the shore with his head held higher because of it. "Thank you. I will do my best." To come to the decision that was right for himself, while staying true to Safrin and Torchline. And to live up to the encouragement of his friends and fellow leaders - past and present - who supported him.
