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!
Halo, and his home, were a solace, a comfort, in the unwinding measures of what recent developments had brought them. This of course extended to the boundaries of their porch, where tables and chairs, with fire pits and blankets, had long since been assembled, the former crackling to life as his presence permitted. He maintained his prowess there for now too, a journal page open and embedded with new sketches.
The flourish of the charcoal from his hand kept him occupied too, a mind not entirely buried in the potential onslaughts and ominous decrees from recent dreams. Permitting the glide of sable elements to begin construction over a set of lanterns for the foyer, the Warden intended to make something not reminiscent of the same caliber as the ones utilized during the Festival of Lights. Head down and bowed, his brow furrowed, the Sword persisted in making multiple designs and fixtures, prompting him more than once to cease entirely, study the marks, and then start again, dissatisfied with some particular arrangement.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Alys had been thinking lately. She'd had some interesting conversations about the gods, and it had led to her questioning her beliefs; perhaps the deities of Caido weren't as bad as she had previously believed, for all that they viewed Abandoned with disdain. After all, if they were willing to help other Abandoned, why should they not be willing to help her?
Not, of course, that she knew what she needed help with. So what did she do? She sought guidance and advice, of course.
And the first person on her mind to ask for that guidance and advice was Deimos. She loved Tal and Ru, but Deimos was more of a mentor to her than a friend, and she knew that she could trust him to give good advice without being too terribly patronizing about it. Besides, he'd seen a lot. If he didn't know about the gods, who would?
"Hi, Deimos," she said as she approached him where he worked, tilting her head to one side as she tried to refrain from peering over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"
Alys
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Another’s movements across the snow alerted him to an incoming presence, but he figured for the moment they’d pass by, and he’d simply continue working. That wasn’t to be as they grew closer, and he eventually swung his head upwards to glance upon the fellow Abandoned – not whom he would’ve expected.
Tilting his cranium vaguely, and with a slight arch to his brow, he leaned away from his work, extending a nod, granting her notions of stepping upon the porch and near the fire if she required it. “Alys,” came along the residual rumble in his chest, shifting the paper so she could see the myriad of images adorning the sprawled pages. “Designing lanterns.” He pointed towards he and Evie’s front door, which clearly lacked any decent lighting for the moment – not with all the recent renovations.
But considering her appearance, he had to wonder why she was here – most of the time she accompanied him on trainings and cravings for wisdom and advice, and rarely at his home. “What brings you here?” He could silently hope it wasn’t another ominous declaration, because he could only handle so many within a week’s time.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Whatever Alys had expected, 'designing lanterns,' was not the answer she'd thought to get from her simple question. She hadn't thought Deimos much of an artist type, but his drawings were actually quite good, much to Alys's surprise. "They're pretty," she said, drawing nearer to consider the drawings. "Do you need any help?" She could help design, although her lanterns might be more macabre than was fitting for whatever Deimos was using them for. Or she could help create them, once the design was settled.
As for what brought her here, perhaps one day, she would make a social visit, but today was not that day. No, today, she indeed came searching for answers. At least it was better than getting thrashed in another training session, though. "I was actually wondering if you could tell me what you know about the gods," she said. "Not the basics, I know most of that. But... I dunno, what are they actually like?"
Alys
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Taking the compliment with an arched brow, and then re-surveying his work, he subsequently shrugged and gave a smaller smile. “Thank you.” As for assistance, once he made a decision, it should’ve been quick work of it, but in all things, the Sword had to learn how to accept help. “Perhaps after I have decided which to make.” Thereafter, he opted to swing the papers back into his line of movement, sliding the charcoal over to construct another one in the bottom corner of the document.
But for Alys’s scruples and reasons for being amidst his home, he was mildly surprised. Given how bitter she’d felt, and rightfully so, towards the gods during past conversations, the inquiry gave him pause enough for his head to maneuver upwards again, piercing eyes cast in her direction. “Depends on which one you mean. They are all different.” In personalities, in platitudes, in offerings, in what they wanted and craved from constituents, or not at all. “I have met Nature Frey, Safrin, and Ludo,” if she wanted to narrow down her choices.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Well, she tried to offer assistance. Perhaps he really would let her help once a decision had been made. In the meantime, Alys took it upon herself to take a seat, since it seemed she'd be staying for a while. She sat comfortably despite the chill of the Deepfrost air; between the magical protection of the Citadel, the blessing for being a part of the Arcane Academy, and her own choices of clothing, it really wasn't so bad. She'd been a bit afraid of winter, having heard plenty of horror stories about the cold. But so far, so long as she stayed within the limits of the city, she felt relatively safe.
Her request was understandably met with a somewhat surprised glance, and she flushed under Deimos's scrutiny. He'd met all of the heralds, then (although not Frey's sexual form, it seemed), and could likely answer whatever questions she might could think of. She considered what she knew of the heralds, and settled on one. "What about Ludo? I've found it most difficult to find information about that one."
Alys
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
As Alys mulled over the choices given, Deimos had another idea, and began designing rapidly. The lantern followed suit on the page, icy, ornamental, broadened by icicle proportions and tapered to their infinite points, with modicums of animals whittled across its portions – ursur, luxere, frost foxes, and the like. Pausing, tilting his head, he ceased entirely, extending it towards the Abandoned to gaze upon and offer commentary. “This needs something else,” and perhaps her eyes and mind would be able to pinpoint the lacking conjectures.
The Warden didn’t see her flush though, and if she was embarrassed she had no need to be – the curiosity alone bent to sway over any particular judgement. That Ludo was the option selected, when he was a notable Safrin loyalist, was intriguing, but he pressed no further. “Depends on who you talk to.” But he wouldn’t send her Remi’s way – presuming that wouldn’t go well for various reasons. “It is known to be mischievous,” which warranted the lightest of smirks. “But I did not find any issue with it. Made my bone cuffs,” and he tapped lightly on the one contorted over the top of his left ear.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Deimos continued to sketch, and Alys watched with her head tilted slightly to one side, not really focused on the drawing as much as the movement of his hand across the page, her mind elsewhere. Lost in thought, it took her a moment when Deimos handed over the page for her to realize he'd asked her opinion, and she hastily reached for the paper and looked it over in earnest. "It needs something along the top," she murmured, tracing a line with her finger. "Something decorative. It looks plain in comparison to the rest." The rest of the design was pretty, ornamental without being overly so.
She passed the page back to Deimos as he spoke briefly of Ludo. She was used to his mannerisms by now, and normally she was unbothered by the short responses that he tended to give. In this instance, though, she found herself feeling a bit impatient. Spurred on by her curiosity, she questioned him further. "What do the bone cuffs do? And what did you have to do to get them?"
Alys
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
“Along the top,” he murmured and echoed as she pinpointed the issue – and he paused, steadily glancing over, before beginning to sketch a few light additions to the top, uncertain about which, but the foundations were there on ivory wings and feathers, not unlike a snow owl.
And he talked while he worked, memory and foundations working hand in hand, stroke for stroke. “It was very patient with me too. I had a lot of questions about some family that I was missing. I did not know their whereabouts at the time, and…,” he shrugged – the presumption being that he’d gone to ensure either Ru or Kiada at that time had been with Mort. To still have them years later was another godsend – or miracle – he couldn’t pinpoint which.
Ceasing again to sigh and tilt his head at the framework, he persisted in the other inquiries – still surprised she wanted to know more. “The bone cuffs allow me to communicate with the other wearer no matter the distance.” Convenient, and nearly a necessity, when war had separated the two Wardens. “I had to get a wishbone from an animal I killed, claw from an Ursur, and antlers from a luxere.” Which the Sword hadn’t been bothered about – but half-wondered if it made Alys squeamish to imagine.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Alys fidgeted while she listened, peering at first towards the paper upon which Deimos worked, then casting a gaze around her to look over the porch upon which they sat. She picked momentarily at a hangnail, then turned her focus back to her mentor. "It sounds like an interesting being," she murmured. "You know, for a god." Still with a hint of disdain, though far less than when they'd first met. If the gods had been willing to help Deimos, with all his magic, and Ru, with all hers, and other Abandoned besides, well - perhaps they weren't as bad as Alys had once thought.
The bone cuffs were interesting items, too, though Alys could think of no one she would want to have instant communication with - at least, not all the time. Sure, it would be helpful for some of the times that she was separated from her dearest friends, but to be able to be reached at any time, day or night, for any reason, no matter how minuscule? She wasn't sure she'd want that. "That seems like a lot, for how small the bone cuffs are," she said. "Why did they need all that for just those little cuffs?"
Alys
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Finishing off the tufts of feathers and wings, he slid the paper back over for her to peruse. “Better?” The stray comments caused another arch of his brow, unbothered by their complexities; knowing what it was like to be bitter and rancorous over the notions of deities, heralds, and all the ilk muddled in between. “Have you thought about going to see any?” Woolgathering the specifics of each wasn’t a bad idea – enough to ponder over her options, which would be the better choice for actions and ease.
As for the other inquiry, he could only muster another slight grin. “Quests are often like that. They are not meant to be effortless.” Otherwise, he could imagine the lines for each god to be quite long, and ire thus more invoked. “I cannot speak for Ludo, but I imagine it must utilize each part. There is a great deal of power within, even for a little object.” And a pair of them, at that.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
The addition of feathers and wings did indeed improve the sketch, and Alys nodded her approval. "Yes, I think that did the trick." With that out of the way, Alys waited to see if Deimos would give any other instruction or ask for any other opinions. She was here, and they were talking, and she'd be happy to help, given the chance. All he had to do was ask.
"I don't know," she said softly. "I'm not sure that there's anything I want from any of them, but... I don't know. Sometimes I think maybe it wouldn't be so bad." She had been a bit lonely lately, and she'd thought about asking for a companion, but she wasn't quite committed to it yet. She chewed on her thumbnail, thoughtful and reflective. "I suppose that's true," she conceded. Take her cards, for example: they held a great deal of power, and they were just drawings on a page.
"I've just been restless, lately," she admitted. "I've been training and working, but other than that, I don't really... do much." It pained her to be vulnerable, and for a moment it felt like pulling teeth, but once the admission was in the air between them, she found that she felt better for it.
Alys
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
With the approval, and the arch of his brow remaining, he nodded, beginning to construct and create from mind and sketch to tangible form. His hands glowed in their residual gilded proportions for a moment, the image coming to shape – rounded portions on the bottom, feathers gliding along the top, until the lantern was solidified before their eyes. “Decent?” He asked in turn, with a fair wrinkle to his nose, either meant to convey a tease or to get a rise out of her.
The uncertainty in her tone was enough to know not to push or sway, so he stayed quiet and steadfast and stoic for a moment, watching and studying as she made some of her notions clear. “I had a difficult time at first too,” with his bitterness, insouciance, impudence, and sedition - all the rancorous edges from previous worlds notching into this one, and no improvements made when he bent his head and came to his knees in front of shrines – gaining nothing but laughter or silence when he’d only craved to help his friends. “I was ignored entirely until I went to Safrin, and asked to become a hybrid.” Whether or not this was because it’d been the first act of improving himself, rather than striving to do so for others, or mere happenstance, luck, and fortune, was difficult to say. “It depends on what you want – and if there is nothing, then maybe now is not the right time.”
Contemplating the efforts and the nuances of the world, he drew another breath, then tilted his head to gauge reactions. “You can always take someone else with you too, if the whole thing makes you uncomfortable.”
The other admittance of restlessness caused a very brief smirk, and perhaps only because he was often just the same. Work, Wardenhood, the soldiers, his own training, and everything else in between kept him busy, and when he did feel the burden and weight across his shoulders, he’d find something to alleviate the harshness, even for swift instances.
But he didn’t punish her vulnerability, pondering over the circumstances instead. “What do you like to do?”
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Alys watched with envy as the lantern took shape beneath his hands, wishing that she had more magic and could do things like that. She'd become happier with her own abilities - her illusion was coming along well, and her telekinesis was something new to stretch her magical muscles with - but they were still a far cry from Deimos's or Ru's. She wrinkled her nose at the lantern, looking it over critically. "It'll do," she said loftily, but it was clear from the twinkle in her eyes that she was teasing. "No, it's lovely," she added, if only because she was unaccustomed to mocking her mentor, for all that he had no qualms about teasing her in kind.
It made her feel better to know that she was not alone in her indecision, that Deimos had once struggled with the very same things as her. Though she couldn't imagine it, she wondered if he had ever been where she was - with only one or two magics, and those in need of strengthening. To her, he was a force of nature: strong, unstoppable, flawless - even though she knew that no one was perfect, and she was sure that Deimos had his flaws, she couldn't help but place him on a pedestal as the image of what she might one day become.
Maybe that was why it was so hard to think of him as a friend instead of a teacher.
She chewed on her lip in thought. "I will keep that in mind," she said. "Thank you." Maybe she'd ask him to come with her, if she ever decided on something to ask for. For now, though, she would simply continue to gather information. If she ever decided to visit a god, it should be for something important, and for now, she didn't know what that might be.
As for what she liked to do, that gave her pause. "Oh, um -" What did she like to do? "Well, I'm starting to like using my magic. I like reading my cards, especially for other people," she mused. "I like drawing, especially landscapes. I'm working on my own deck," she added proudly, forgetting for a moment what she was supposed to be ruminating on. "But, other than that - I don't know. I guess I don't really... do much."
Alys
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
