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!
Sah had been enjoying his creation magic lately. It's sudden boost in strength and capabilities made the possibilities endless. It was how he found himself outside of his home at the moment and regarding his front door. Maybe he should create a lantern? And maybe a hook to hang it on beside his door?
Grabbing a piece of paper, Sah sketched out a rough outline of what he had in mind. Combining his creation magic with earth and fire, he could make a lantern out of steel and glass, right? That sounded logical enough. Perhaps it'd take a few tries but it was worth the practice regardless.
09-08-2023, 04:11 AM (This post was last modified: 09-08-2023, 04:13 AM by Iskra.)
SPARKS WILL FLY THEY IGNITE OUR BONES
Goose trotted up to Sah with brainless happiness, arriving with no qualms at interrupting whatever Sah was doing, because the old, smelly, slimy ball in his mouth was much more important than whatever Sah was currently doing. The dog aimed to press the ball against whatever part of Sah was closest, but almost seemed to aim for any exposed skin that could feel the wetness, or even better, if the book was close enough, it'd made a good pedestal to plop the ball-prize onto.
"GOOSE!" Iskra's voice shouted out in exasperation not long after. The man jogged towards the mongrel with a furrowed 'brow of utter annoyance. It wasn't often that these two bickered, but, well dogs will be dogs, especially huskies.
Breathless from the long chase, Iskra paused near Sah to drink in the cold, crisp air, one hand planted on his hips. Although Goose had not yet dashed off, Iskra knew that Goose knew what would go down in a moment, so Iskra had to play it cool and pretend like he was here for any reason other than wrangling the mutt. Therefore he didn't even look at his dog and instead focused on Sah to maintain his ruse in this game. It wasn't long though before Iskra was genuinely curious. "What've you got there?" A phrase the dog was all too familiar with, Goose playfully growled in response, the smallest tip of his tail flicking back and forth with a wag. Careful Iskra thought, nearly able to touch the tension thrumming in the beast as they both feigned calm.
Sah watched from the corner of his eye as a husky walked over and demanded he play. Laughing, the Abandoned held a palm out for the dog to sniff, not minding the slobber now on his arm. "Hi there." A man who was likely the owner of the dog ran over and Sah glanced up.
"I'm working on a new lantern for my porch." He gestured to the sketch, "I've never made one, but I figured I'd give it a go." He sent Goose a grin before turning back to the man. "I have a couple of canine companions. Want me to call them for Goose to play with? Lilly will be happy to make a new friend." Perhaps Sah should have mentioned that the pair were wolves, but the thought never even crossed his mind.
JUST STARING AT THE SUNRISE ABOVE THIS HOLLOW TOWN BEEN CHASING EMPTY MEMORIES THE KIND THAT'S KEEPING YOU DOWN
Iskra had never given much thought to the state of the home he lived in. It had a bed, a shower, a toilet, and a sink and that had seemed like enough. To find Sah working on upgrades, much less ones that were as luxurious as upgraded lighting, and the thought behind its design being so intentional and nice, well it gave Iskra pause. Perhaps he should consider the same, rather than live like some feral prisoner in a box. "That looks incredible," Iskra breathed, awed at the ability the other man had to envision this. Iskra was good with his hands, and he could see the way to cut a tree just right and work the heartwood out efficiently, but he was finding something encased within a parcel nature had made. Sah was pulling this from his goddamn mind and translating it into reality.
Before Iskra could be awed by the sketches any further, however, Sah pulled out another wild card and offered Goose friends. "YES!" Iskra shouted eagerly, his outburst causing Goose to startle to the side, expecting their next chase to be on, though it shifted into a feint when he quickly noticed Iskra stayed stationary and was instead beaming at Sah. "Gods that'd be grand, I've been thinking of getting a second dog just to keep Goose occupied, but honestly more than one of these sounds like more than I can handle."
Iskra relaxed a bit now that he knew he wouldn't have to trick his dog into coming home. Goose would not only remain here due to the companions to occupy him but would also be tired by the time they went home, which was more than Iskra could have hoped for even five minutes ago.
THIS SENSE OF INDECISION AIN'T WHAT WE HAD IN MIND
THE DREAM THAT I ENVISIONED I AM STILL HOPING TO FIND
Sah smiled softly, "Thank you. I can make you one if you want. The designing is the hard part." To clarify, the Abandoned focused on the sketch as he channeled his magic. Mastered earth, fire, and creation magic weaved through his hands. In a matter of minutes, there lay a completed lantern of steel and glass sitting on the table, a lit candle flickering within. The Wild Thunder's smile turned into a grin, "Magic makes the creation bit far easier."
The sudden enthusiasm for canine companions had Sah throwing his head back with a cackle, "Noted. I'm Sah by the way." Still snickering he let out a sharp whistle and turned to watch the path adjacent to his house. In regard to a second dog he shrugged, "It's certainly better to have a pack than to be a lone wolf."
Soon enough there was the sound of racing paws and a pair of companion-sized wolves emerged. Sah called out as they appeared, "Lilly, Pad! Come meet a new friend." The silver she-wolf, Lilly, raced over happily. Skidding to a stop in front of Goose she immediately dropped into a play bow. Meanwhile, Pad in all of his dark and brooding glory watched her antics with clear disproval. The black wolf trotted up and sat beside his bonded, watching his sister demand friendship from the husky.
JUST STARING AT THE SUNRISE ABOVE THIS HOLLOW TOWN BEEN CHASING EMPTY MEMORIES THE KIND THAT'S KEEPING YOU DOWN
"Oh would you?!" Iskra exclaimed excitedly, having been prepared to ask but now saved the embarrassment. Quick to follow up so as not to seem like a freeloader, Iskra added, "I'll help however I can of course, with yours too. The world could always stand to be a bit brighter."
Although Sah quickly demonstrated that he likely didn't need any help, his hands deftly manipulated unseen forces and elements into something that had only briefly existed on paper as charcoal. Iskra's eyes grew wider, goosebumps riddling his arms. "Wow!" he breathed, impressed at such craftsmanship and skill. Iskra had potential for magic as well, but had not spent much time or energy practicing it, so it just lay within him like a dormant, snoozing bear. Grinning, Iskra pat Sah on the back with two large thumps. "You're a natural, I can tell."
Nodding as Sah introduced himself, Iskra kept hold of the name, certain he'd cross paths with this skilled mage once more. Whatever conversation might have continued however was quickly swallowed up by the sound of paws skittering over stone and snow, two wolves emerging, their names a single unit but each a unique individual of personality and might. Goose had frozen, head cocked as he listened, tongue slightly hanging on the side of his mouth in a blep. His fur rippled with movement as he made to bound away at the abrupt arrival of Lily, though just as quickly the dog twisted in the air as he recognized the play bow, his confusion and wariness erasing under a supreme joy. Goose rapidly barked as he landed, dipping in his own bow, tail furiously racing behind him. The dog pushed forward, nosing at Lily's neck in an invitation for tag before darting away, glancing back to ensure the game was on.
Iskra watched and laughed, happy to see friendships of any kind form. "Wouldn't it be nice to be a carefree dog?"
THIS SENSE OF INDECISION AIN'T WHAT WE HAD IN MIND
THE DREAM THAT I ENVISIONED I AM STILL HOPING TO FIND
10-06-2023, 02:56 PM (This post was last modified: 10-28-2023, 06:28 PM by Sah.)
yet my blood renders me a King
Sah let out a chuckle and shook his head, "No. It's taken me five years of intense training to get to this point." Calling forth his magic again, the older Abandoned created another, identical, lantern and nudged it towards Iskra. "Here. This one is yours." Gods, had he really been in Caido for only five years? It felt like a lifetime. Standing, he reached up and fastened his own lantern over the entry door of his house.
Goose was adorable and Sah laughed as Lilly eagerly joined the game. She raced after the husky without hesitation and her competitive nature soared. Goose didn't stand a chance. Lilly was determined to win! Watching the two, Sah nodded at Iskra's comment. "I can't even imagine."
The two men spoke for a time as the canines played. Lilly was reluctant to see her new friend go and Sah resolved to try and set up a play date for her and the husky sometime in the near future. As the Wild Thunder headed home, he hoped that Iskra would enjoy his lantern.
