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!
Between Noah’s abrupt message, Hadama’s letter, and the alterations within Halo itself, the wakes of curiosity and trepidation had long since melded, contorted, and coiled together like a noose. After ensuring the snowy grounds were indeed safe, save for some inexplicable melting (without Eirachi’s hand in the matters, as far as he was aware) and newly found flora, traversing towards rumored lights seemed to be the next angle. Besides, he had no intention of waiting on news from others – not when he could readily explore himself.
Familiar with King’s End, due to exile some years before, the difference in its terrain was stark and vivid; cut right into the landscape. It didn’t take long for his eyes to see it amidst the surroundings, and he, like so many others had tread, wandered, and wondered, came upon the crash site with furrowed brows and hundreds of inquiries. Maybe, in the grand scheme of things, all that truly mattered was what it meant and entailed – but even then, no answer made itself known by staring at the outer ridges.
Still, the Sword walked around it regardless, before crouching down slightly before the edge, peering, studying, and examining as best he could.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Who was it that led you on And makes you want to hurt me so?
The Greatwood was out of the way, but even Liam had heard rumors of something happening in King's End, and so it was that he'd decided to go and investigate. He was, after all, the closest thing that the Greatwood had to a protector, and as such it felt like his duty to go and gather information to bring back to their Guardian. Besides that, he was not extensively traveled, having never left Stormbreak until only a few seasons prior, and King's End was a new place for him to explore. It was nice, in a way, to break out of the day-to-day work at home and go somewhere new. He decided he'd need to try it more often.
It was clear from the moment he laid eyes on the crater that the scar in the landscape was fresh and out of place. Where trees and flowers had begun to bloom in Flowerbirth, the dark soil of the crater was a stark difference. He stood at the precipice for a few moments, brow furrowed in thought, arms crossed over his chest as he took it all in. It was then that he noticed a man crouched at the edge of the crater, seemingly examining the site. Liam had no wish to interrupt, but it was possible that the stranger knew something of what had happened here, and any information he could glean would surely be helpful. And so the soldier approached cautiously, stopping a polite distance away, and said, "Excuse me, but do you know what happened here?"
Who do you want to forget? Who forgot you long ago?
As much as the Sword preferred it, he expected he wouldn’t be alone for long. Not with the allure of something shattered into landscape, nor with rumors and lack of information scrawled in letters and reports. So his examination, with a brief furrowing of his brows, was cut off at the approach of another – gaze pinpointing immediately on the stranger nearby, head tilting, careful, quiet, and warrior poised in his swift deliberations.
It was rare nowadays for Deimos to find someone entirely unknown, but he didn’t recognize the man at all. Rising back to his full height, he stepped briefly away from the edge, rounding along to the left in quick strides, surmising intrigue from another angle. The rumble followed in his usual stoic manner, aloof and reticent when in the presence of the unfamiliar – people and events alike. “Only from recent information,” and that might have been on hunches and presumptions alone. “Someone thought they might be connected to the lights seen during LongNight.” But beyond that was anyone’s guess, for now, until other things, events, could be connected or understood. His shoulders shrugged, the uncertainty reeling heavier in his spine, pondering if this had anything to do with Safrin’s quest, and other intervals segmenting around. “Do you?”
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Who was it that led you on And makes you want to hurt me so?
It wasn't unusual for Liam to be at a loss when it came to recognizing others across Caido. Having grown up in Stormbreak and having left only recently, there were quite a few lands and its inhabitants that he had yet to meet. So it didn't strike him as particularly odd that he didn't know this stranger, and he listened to the lack of information with a tilted head and a stoic expression.
"I've just heard rumors," Liam said absently, his gaze skimming the crater. "Strange lights in the sky, like you said. I was trying to investigate, but there doesn't seem to be much here." He had to admit to some disappointment. He'd hoped to be able to gather information to bring home to Phoebe, but it seemed that he would be going home empty-handed. "Sorry to have bothered you," he added with an apologetic smile.
Who do you want to forget? Who forgot you long ago?
The Sword, unfortunately, was inclined to agree with the stranger. After all the discussions surrounding the enigmatic forces, he was hoping for something other than what it was – a giant hole in the ground. No answers to the myriad of questions underlying the currents of his mind’s machinations, and so he crouched again, studious and forbearing, sighing. “No bother,” he noted, pondering over the rest of the circumstances and already calculating next maneuvers. “I am Deimos.” Might as well break the unknown portions over individuals, rather than the happenstances surrounding them.
Head tilting again, his eyes narrowed, pondering over complexities. “I will try to move the dirt,” just a little; to see if it revealed anything. Moments later, earthen incantations warped and maneuvered below, a gentle sifting, a turning over of soil barren and laden deep within the crater. “Let me know if you see anything.” Evidence of what could have crashed, broken, smashed…or something else entirely.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Who was it that led you on And makes you want to hurt me so?
"I'm Liam," the soldier said, resisting the urge to snap into a salute. He'd heard of Deimos - who hadn't? - but it had been seasons since he'd been a dragoon, and he'd never served outside the borders of Stormbreak, never owed any other than his homeland his allegiance. And the Greatwood, now, he supposed, but what was he there, other than a simple civilian? "It's nice to meet you, Deimos."
He nodded his agreement to the Warden's plan, crouching to get closer to the sifting dirt. He peered through the falling debris with eager eyes, hoping that something would come to light from their investigation. To his disappointment, though, he saw nothing but dirt, dirt, and more dirt. "Nothing here," he said, glancing up at his new companion. "I wodner if there'd be anything further down in the crater?"
Who do you want to forget? Who forgot you long ago?
Never one for fame or renown, perhaps Deimos should’ve been grateful, though unknowingly so, that Liam didn’t draw attention to the Sword’s notoriety. So he nodded, snagging at the information of names, Liam, before moving towards spying upon the ground below.
But even with both seeking and searching the loam, there was nothing to be had. Were he in familiar company, he might’ve wrinkled his nose or expressed his displeasure in the continued and persistent lack of information. Instead, he kept his irritation to a bare minimum, with a mere furrowing of his brows as the dirt simply looked like dirt. “Perhaps,” and maybe he’d been mistaken, thinking any evidence would remain firmly on the surface.
Instead then, by way of Liam’s suggestion, he maneuvered his magic further along the crater, deeper into the darker surfaces, sifting through the silt and soil once more. It lifted further, debris for them to survey and process.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Who was it that led you on And makes you want to hurt me so?
Liam was more open with his disappointment, sighing softly as their search yielded nothing. He'd hoped for something of use to bring back to Phoebe and the Greatwood, but it seemed that he was going to be going home empty-handed. It was a strange sensation, being unable to be of use, and he couldn't say he care for it. If this had happened in Stormbreak, he could have contributed by cordoning off the area, standing guard, questioning witnesses... there was a long list of things that he could do, if only this were his home to do them in.
As it were, he merely shook his head as their search moved further into the crater. "I don't see anything," he said, resigned. "Were there any witnesses? I mean, we all saw the lights, but do you know of anyone who saw the actual crash?"
Who do you want to forget? Who forgot you long ago?
When nothing turned up again, the beast permitted the granules to loosen, sifting, then settling back into the ground, as though they’d been untouched, barely moved. A long sigh filtered through, and he rose back to his full height once more, head tilting at the crater, bothered that there’d been nothing to find. Perhaps others had been here before them, likely, given the distance traveled, and had scoured the scene well beforehand – leaving naught behind. Or maybe there simply wasn’t anything to salvage; no additional knowledge, no portions to be uncovered. Another segment and mystery he wasn’t inclined to enjoy or relish. Not when it could mean too many things.
His gaze went back to Liam, mouth moving into a straight, reticent line. “I do not. Do you?” A similar dead-end. Narrowing his eyes and adjusting them towards the horizon, some manner and matter of pettiness lingered within; but didn’t relegate or meander through his voice. “Sunjata has the Refuge here. He might have been able to see something.” If he’d even been here during LongNight – though given Ru’s lack of appearance during the timeframe, he’d wager a bet on such factors.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Who was it that led you on And makes you want to hurt me so?
The likelihood was that the site, unsecured by any force that Liam was aware of, had been picked over by scavengers in the time it had taken the rumors to fly and the sightseers to arrive. Still, it seemed almost too clean. There should have been something, surely, some debris from whatever had crashed. But he was not an expert on meteors and their crash sites, and he regarded the crater with a thoughtful sort of scowl as he contemplated going back home empty-handed.
"No, I don't," he said, then hesitated. It might not be his place, but the part of his mind that remained a Dragoon whirred into life all the same, and he continued cautiously. "It might not be my place, but... are the regions compiling notes from what they've found, if anything? If their people saw the lights, if others have investigated the site before us, that sort of thing? It just seems like there should be some indication of what happened here, but there's nothing except a hole in the ground."
Who do you want to forget? Who forgot you long ago?
The notions weren’t a bad one, and Deimos tilted his head at that, granting Liam a nod of respect, at the very least. He’d done so with plants and weather patterns, asking, seeking, out information amidst the leaders, simply to see if there had been similar occurrences. He’d yet to do so over this crash-site, simply because he’d wanted to see it first hand, before persisting and continuing in the same vein. “I have done so with the strange flora variants and weather, but not this yet.” The dread of more correspondence gave him somewhat of an inward shudder, but he’d suffer legions of paperwork over having another meeting. “I can continue to ask around though. You should do the same.” The more knowledge, the better, even if it seemed to be coming down to nothing.
“The whole thing strikes me as very odd,” he reflected outwardly, a wrinkle to his nose once more. Unless they were dealing with something very much connected to Safrin’s disappearance. “Were you told anything about Safrin’s departure?”
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Who was it that led you on And makes you want to hurt me so?
Had Liam been privy to the Warden's innermost thoughts, he, too, would have shuddered at the idea of paperwork and meetings. The paperwork alone had been his least favorite part of being a Dragoon - writing up each altercation, though necessary, had not been something he'd looked forward to at the end of each shift. "I will," Liam agreed with a solemn nod of his head. He would indeed keep an eye out for anything strange. Perhaps he would even send a dreaded letter to Deimos, if he heard of anything new, though it seemed silly for the likes of him to consider sending such correspondence to another realm's leader.
Liam knew as little about Safrin's departure as he knew about the crater, and he said as much to Deimos. "Very little. Most of what I've heard is rumor." He'd heard of the meeting between the regional leaders and demigods from Phoebe, but she'd trusted in his discretion, and he wasn't sure that he should have known about that, so he kept his mouth shut. Of what had come from that meeting, though, he was unaware. Phoebe had been quiet lately.
Who do you want to forget? Who forgot you long ago?
He withheld another sigh, but only because it seemed no matter how much information passed through meetings, it still didn’t make it to each and every citizen. Since it had been one of his tasks, spreading the sagacity, he peeled back one of the layers of his clothing, revealing the glow of the bracelet. “Safrin came to Ronin and I in a dream, informing us she would be departing Caido to deal with an incoming threat.” What that was, or could be, was left into the revolving unknown, and staring down at the rubble and ruin amidst the endless fields still felt off. Odd. Connected but not; a fragment.
“She could not tell us what the perils were,” just the ominous proportions to them, some impending and looming doom. “The bracelets are meant to track the progress.” And had only begun to illuminate amidst LongNight. His gaze meandered from the hole in the ground and back to Liam, attempting to gauge his response.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Who was it that led you on And makes you want to hurt me so?
Liam's eye was drawn to the movement of Deimos's arm; the other man revealed a glowing bracelet that the ex-dragoon eyed with interest. It was pretty, in an otherworldly way - which made sense, seeing as it was Safrin's - but, if Deimos was to be believed, it spoke of danger. Liam shifted, suddenly uneasy. He had seen so little of Phoebe, and so few resided in the Greatwood - were they safe? Was there more he could be doing to strengthen their defenses? The mental calculations were clear in the soldier's hazel eyes.
They should be preparing for the worst, if Liam's experiences in Stormbreak were anything to go by. For a moment, he was silent, unsure how much he should reveal to Deimos. If there were preparations to be made, he should be following the Greatwood's leadership, but he'd heard nothing from Phoebe. But to say as much seemed disloyal. Finally, he sighed. "I had heard rumors of Safrin's disappearance, but this - we should be preparing. Shoring up defenses, training soldiers. I hate to be pessimistic, but if this threat is as great as it seems, we should prepare for the worst."
Who do you want to forget? Who forgot you long ago?
