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!
No sun nor moon counted down the hours of the days and nights, but candles notched at certain intervals served to mark the passing of time within the dark and promised the coming of the sun again. Tal waited until the wax had burned down past the bedtime of young ones before heading out into the night without stars, but the Citadel's protective Dome meant that no one was trapped within their home for a week while temperatures plummeted to lethal levels and snow piled up to the eaves.
Now the temperature held steady, cold but not killing, and the snow crews could work with lanterns and torches to keep the streets clear. More lights hung outside homes and businesses, guiding those who wanted or needed to travel within the city's walls.
Tal joined the handful of others who were out late; revelers, mostly, going to or from the tentative parties that were beginning to spring up. He locked the door of his shop-and-home behind him, Boreal snorting impatiently around her own gift for her friends before the pair headed to a certain house on a certain street where the light burned on the patio in welcome.
Tal knocked, awkwardly balancing the box in his arms which was deliciously warm and smelling of sugar and spice. Three loud thumps joined his knocking as Boreal dragged her own offering up to the porch, the caribou antler bumping along between her legs as she dragon-handled the chew toy to the door.
The door swung open and Boreal was promptly tackled by an ecstatic silver she-wolf. As the two sprawled into the snow Pad peeked out with poorly disguised interest. Meanwhile, a grinning Sah gestured for Tal to come in from where he was holding the door, "Come on in, Errand Boy."
The Wild Thunder was especially grateful for his frenemy's company tonight. This was the first Longnight he'd be spending without both his pups since the twins came to Caido. Soleil wasn't in Halo at the moment, and he deeply missed her. Luka had remained in Halo but tonight he'd elected to stay at the training grounds, leaving Sah otherwise alone. Granted it was entirely possible that Luka chose tonight to remain away tonight so as not to have to deal with having company over. That was probably it, honestly.
Leading the courier in, Sah pulled a bottle from a high shelf in his kitchen as well as a pair of glasses. Setting them on the counter he filled the glasses and nudged one towards Tal, "Here." As he spoke the Wild Thunder's eyes locked onto the box of cookies and he made grabby hands at it.
The dragon obligingly went down under the enthusiastic greeting from her friend, chortling happily as her best friend momentarily became a warm, furry blanket before they rolled to their feet, tails wagging as they bounced around each other and then tumbled back into the house with the antler in tow.
"Your house is my house," Tal agreed in greeting, his own grin chasing away the more usual scowl that was so at home on his features. He made it in and began the traditional Dance of Disrobing: toeing out of his snow boots and wriggling out of his heavy coat one arm at a time while keeping hold of the cookie box until they reached the kitchen together. The companions were off on their LongNight zoomies, sounding like a herd of small elephants and Tal winced as a particularly loud thud probably heralded his dragon bouncing off a corner.
Only once the glasses were down and filled did he set the box in the middle of the table and lift the lid off it. Piles of mahogany-brown spice cookies gleamed in the insulated container within, only half an hour old. Sugar crystals sparkled from their tops, promising interesting texture as well as flavor and Tal grabbed one and bit into it with relish, proving that they were edible. He washed the bite down with an appreciative swallow of the fine booze, letting the liquid linger on his tongue before he spoke up. "Happy birthday, Jester," he toasted, raising his glass to clink with Sah's. "Looks like we made it another year, somehow. We were doin' fine until fuckin' Deepfrost..." He shook his head ruefully and took another drink.
Sah snickered, "True enough." Between their Longnight tradition and their companions' friendship, the courier was around often enough. Lilly would be heartbroken to be separated from her scaley friend for long. Pad would be upset too, even if he denied it till his fur fell off.
While Lilly and Boreal started their zoomies, the antler was left unattended for a brief second when Boreal hit the corner. Surging forward, Pad snatched it up and took off, prompting his sister to whip around and chase him instead.
Sah's eyes dilated at the sight of the fresh cookies, and he eagerly took one. Taking a bite, he let out a satisfied hum, "These never get old. Tell your sister I said thanks." Truly addicting, the Wild Thunder would fight someone tooth and nail for these treats. Clinking his glass against Tal's, Sah froze for a moment before letting out a laugh, "I think we actually fought the damn thing on my birthday. I completely forgot in the chaos of it all." Snickering he took another sip. His luck truly was something at times.
Like a self-contained blizzard, a white dragon snarls overhead with an ursur clutched between its claws. Flying towards the high cliffs that no doubt are its home, it’s probably a good thing that it already has its dinner for the evening, lest you have become its meal.
You’ve encountered a White Dragon. This counts as a rare creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements. You may not kill your rare creature without admin permission.
White Dragons (Rare/mythical): Living in underground tunnels that are warded with ice and snow, white dragons hoard treasure and anything they deem beautiful. Often this means that one might find gold, gems, and frozen humans stored in their caves. They can speak the basic common tongue and can communicate telepathically with the attuned, though they are secretive, vain, and usually aloof and unhelpful.
All of Tal's smug internal monologue was hidden behind a grin as he joined Sah on the trip to the kitchen. The girls' greetings were interrupted by a little brother just asking to be tackled and licked, and as Lilly took off one way Boreal headed the other without any need for prompting as she attempted to help her bestie out with a pincer movement to catch Pad between them in one of the back rooms.
Tal winced at the sound of claws on wood, then took another sip of the excellent booze. "You're welcome," he said instead, grin turning wicked. "Since I did most o' th'work on 'em this year. But I'll let her know her lessons are goin' well!" Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth as he offered the cookie box again to the belated birthday boy, but before he could respond a dragon's roar interrupted him.
'Fuckin' hail, I wish they'd just stay home like everyone else on LongNight," he growled, shoulders tense. He'd flinched at the noise but with deft experience had avoided spilling even a drop of his drink. "So, uh. How's the Academy goin'?" As smooth changes in subject it wasn't great, but by Tal's standards it was downright suave.
10-28-2023, 05:44 PM (This post was last modified: 10-28-2023, 06:15 PM by Sah.)
Sah
The forest never sleeps and the wolf never dies
Sah shook his head with a snicker, "Sure Errand Boy. Sure." There was no chance that the courier had the finesse for baking such valuable cookies. None. Using his telekinesis, he took another cookie from the tin. Even a single bite of the treat solidified the impossibility that Tal made it.
The roar in the distance had both wolves' heads snapping towards the door. Lilly let out a low growl, but Pad's hackles raised to their max as he snarled. Sah called them both over through the bond and after giving them some ear ruffles, the two settled enough to rejoin Boreal. The contact helped calm the Abandoned's frayed nerves as well.
"The Academy is going well. I'm sure it'll pick up next season." With Safrin gone, the people were tense with the weight of an unknown threat. Speaking of which, there was suddenly two bright lights passing by the window. Sah sharply stood and tracked their movement, "What the fuck?" First a dragon. Now a light during LongNight? While Safrin was away? None of this bode well.
Tal licked a mental finger and added another point to his side of the tally board as Sah insisted on living in ignorant bliss. He was content to sit in smug surety of his victory, only regretting that when the hunter finally confirmed the truth of the cookies with his sister during her next Academy lesson Tal wouldn't be there to see the look on his face. He'd have to ask Dierdre to take notes and describe it in detail afterwards...
But the pleasant reverie was broken by the dragon's passage and the sudden upset of the companions. Of the wolves, at least. Boreal lifted her head and cocked it curiously at the window, then snorted in clear draconic disdain at the idiot reptile foolish enough to fly in the pitch black. When you couldn't see the ground to land on it, you were lucky not to break your neck!
She crooned reassuringly until the wolves rejoined her, touching her nose to Lilly's and then giving Pad a sisterly swipe of her broad, forked tongue between his ears.
Tal nodded at the news from the Academy, but Sah's sudden distraction drew his own gaze over his shoulder to the window once more so that he just barely caught the tail end of fire flashing across the sky. "...That was headin' east," he said slowly, with the certainty of a courier who had an internal knack for directions, even with no sun or stars to guide him. "O'er the Draig, I'm guessin'. Or... into it?" He hadn't seen enough of their arc to know for sure, but his fingers were white on his glass as the implications sunk in. "D'y'think... Safrin's back...?" In such a state it didn't bode well, and what about the second light?
Lilly happily accepted Boreal's affection and Pad grudgingly allowed it as his ears flicked with only mild irritation. He was used to the dragon by now, but he still wasn't a fan of such gestures.
Sah grit his teeth, "Over it, I think. The arc looked too wide to land in the Draig." With a flick of his finger, he called his glass to his hand from where it rested on the table. Taking a sip his eyes remained on the sky. "At the meeting earlier, Deimos' bracelet was only glowing slightly. I don't think it was bright enough to mean Safrin was returning just yet." The second light's presence also complicated things.
With a furrowed brow Sah reluctantly added, "Perhaps it's part of what Safrin was trying to prevent." Did something happen to Safrin? Or was this a part of her plan?
Since Sah was still standing around looking out at the dark, Tal felt like an idiot sitting at the table by himself. And then there was the ominous strangeness of it all, seeing lights in the sky on LongNight, like someone had lit a Leafchange lantern for him while he was still alive.
It boded, was what it did. And that was never a good thing.
Fuckin' LongNight.
He picked up his glass in the more usual way and joined Sah at the window, shoulders brushing without a second thought in the comforting vulnerability of the one night a year they didn't entirely protect their respective pride behind an armor of denial and rivalry. The earlier playfulness, warm and bright as the leaping fire, had faded to glowing embers as a quiet anxiety rose to take its place; an oppressive chill spreading throughout Tal's chest as he looked out over the roofs of Snowcloak, lively and lit from below by lanterns and torches, and up into the infinite cold nothingness of the void above.
"Th'bracelet wasn't meant to track Safrin, though," Tal said slowly, brow furrowing as he tried to remember the exact words. "It was th'threat itself that makes it glow, I thought." Somehow, hearing that the lights had probably gone past the Draig made him feel a little better. The last thing they needed was something else attacking Caido when the god was still probably healing from the Core's infection. "So... I guess that means she's losin' ground, up there? Somewhere... but if somethin' slipped past her an' made it all th'way here, wouldn't it be glowin' fit t'burn?"
Sah glanced briefly at Tal as the other man joined him, shifting his weight to more solidly touch shoulders in a very canine-like hug. And if the Abandoned used his fire magic to subtly raise his body temperature, Tal couldn't prove it. Eyes returning to the sky, the Wild Thunder took a sip of his drink before letting out a sigh.
"You're right. It is connected to the threat and not Safrin herself." Grimacing as he too tried to recall the specifics from the meeting. Talyson threw out theories and the Abandoned considered each one, his jaw tightening with each word. "Maybe...this was just a part of the threat? A first wave. If so, more lights like that might be on their way."
Sah shook his head to fight his rising concern, "But it might be something else entirely. We can't assume." That would only lead to unnecessary panic.
Tal might not be able to prove it, but he subconsciously relaxed a little at the shared warmth. The last few years had made the miracle of the dome something one could almost take for granted, but for most of Tal's life LongNight had been a time of cold and dark and grim loneliness as Halovians locked themselves inside with their stores of lantern oil and firewood and piles of blankets and furs and food. Every house had been an island in the night, isolated and unreachable as the Deepfrost winds had howled down the streets, cold enough to freeze a man dead in minutes no matter how many layers he wore, and the snow drifted and heaped halfway or more up their doors. Whole families died if their fuel ran out, their bodies found frozen in Flowerbirth when the shoveling teams finally cleared the streets and neighbors realized which chimneys had no smoke emerging.
The falling lights - stars? - had called forth those old, subconscious sense-memories of LongNights past, dangerous and uncertain and deadly, when anything might be outside the shuttered windows, and Tal leaned into his friend's side in unspoken gratitude as a shiver ran down his spine.
If the subject hadn't been so serious the courier might have had something smug to say about Sah admitting he was right, but aside from a brief flare of warmth in his chest he let the words go unremarked. Instead he chewed his lip, listening to the other man's ideas in turn as his customary scowl began to tug down the corners of his mouth. "If you're right, it picked a damn inconvenient time t'visit," he grumped. "No one can go any-fuckin'-where 'til dawn right now. An' that's still a few day-candles away." The big candles, thick as his arm, that took twenty-four hours to burn down and helped mark the time when there was no sun or stars to do it for them. "An' we don't even know where they came down, even if we had fancy teleportin' magic." He drew in a big sigh and let it out with glum resignation. "So... guess I'll be takin' th'Peregrine out first thing an' seein' if there's anythin' I can spot from th'air." At least he wasn't going to be the first one to encounter... whatever it was. Whichever poor sods east of the Draig the lights had landed on would have that dubious honor.
Tal just hoped he wasn't going to be the first one to find a messy aftermath of that meeting.
Sah had to restrain the urge to wrap an arm around Tal when the other man shivered. That would just be weird but the urge to protect his people was rearing its head at the sight of an unknown and potential threat. He settled himself in the knowledge that at least his magic seemed to be helping.
Tal grumbled but had a point and the Wild Thunder hummed. "I can go with you, if you like." The lights would need to be investigated and there was sure to be a crowd heading there once the sun returned. Yet others would actively avoid the area. Checking it out themselves might be for the best before wild rumors and speculations ran rampant.
Tal reached up to rub at his nose, figuring it would be weird if he accepted Sah's offer too quickly. He pretended to think about it for a few minutes, even taking another sip of his drink before nodding. "Sure. Guess we did alright against that Dreamthing in th'Oerwoud. If it's anythin' dangerous, we can prob'ly sort it out between the two of us." Would their playful bickering end up starting a war of the worlds with some alien life forms and make things worse?
...Naaaahhh. It would probably be fine. Right?
With a shake of his head the courier nudged Sah lightly with his shoulder and then stepped away from the window to reclaim his chair at the table. "C'mon. These cookies won't eat themselves an' th'bottle's lookin' downright lonely. No point starin' out th'window all LongNight and workin' ourselves into knots when we can't do anythin' about it. Did I tell you I joined a new guild?"
Which seemed like a great way to launch into the story of how the Adventurer's Guild was getting started, and their new canine mascot, and one thing led to another until the bottles were empty, the cookies were reduced to crumbs, and the two young men had fallen asleep leaning together in a pile of wolves and dragons on the floor in front of the fire.
A merry LongNight to all, and to all a good night!
