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!
11-03-2023, 02:33 PM (This post was last modified: 11-04-2023, 12:12 AM by Noah.)
Noah
I'll let it burn the way the sunlight burns my skin The way I feel inside, the way the day begins
When the sun rose over the world, the clouds obscured it from the Hollowed Grounds.
Noah and his wife did not feel the same relief they usually felt at the closing of Longnight, and they made the tough decision for her and the twins to head back to Halo. Where it would be safe.
Noah, on the other hand, was still stationed in the Hollowed Grounds. Still working to fulfill his quest. But he needed to know what happened in the sky over the darkness, which meant traveling out to find someone to talk to. That meant heading to Jack Tar Landing, to find a willing skyboat captain or crew member to talk to. Getting there included going over bone bridges, which is where he found himself now.
Soaked to the bone in terrestrial rain. It chilled him, despite his growing up in Halo, and he visibly shivered as he walked. Noah's journey across the bone bridges under the gloomy, rain-soaked sky was fraught with uncertainty. As he trudged along the precarious paths, thoughts of his wife and twins heading back to the safety of Halo weighed heavily on his mind. The contrast between his familiarity with the Hollowed Grounds and the unfamiliar, unpredictable elements of the outside world was striking.
{Open SE for “Complete a thread experiencing one of the strange weather patterns occurring throughout Caido.”}
In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream It's like a million little stars spelling out your name
Raelyn was wet, and not in the fun way.
Ever since the sun had risen - ha - after LongNight, Raelyn had been soaked to the bone. A farm didn't stop running when it rained, and she still had chores to complete and errands to run. At first, she'd tried to do as much as she could in her wolf form, but after a while, the water seeped through even her thick fur, and she'd given up, resigning herself to a damp Flowerbirth, given that the rains didn't seem to be letting up any time soon.
Today she had errands to run, and despite the oilskin cloak pulled about her shoulders, she had still managed to get a face full of water from an errant gust of wind. She could feel the icy tendrils of the early Flowerbirth rain creeping down the back of her neck, and she hated it. Gods, what she wouldn't give to have just one day where she could stay curled up by the fire with a good book... But that wasn't to be, and Rae traipsed on through the rain with a dramatic sigh. At least the dogs could stay warm; she'd left them at the farm, and they'd huddled up under the porch eaves as though they would melt from the rain.
So wrapped up in her misery was she that she didn't realize she was walking into someone else's path until she literally walked into them. "Hey -" she started, stumbling off the path and into a deep puddle that left her feet soaked. "Fuck!" she hissed. Then she looked up. "Hey, I remember you!" was out of her mouth before she could think, and she wrinkled her nose up at the tall stranger from the spar. "Why are you out in this mess?"
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together
Come on, come on, little taste of heaven
I'll let it burn the way the sunlight burns my skin The way I feel inside, the way the day begins
It was the sharp, stinging reverberation of a curse that snapped Noah's attention from inward to outward. The rain splattered off of his hood as he turned his head to look at the on-comer. He couldn't help the way his hackles rose with bear instinct, or the way his muscles tensed in readiness that probably wasn't necessary.
He didn't relax all the way, even as familiarity filled his eyes. His brows scrunched together and his jaw feathered a moment before he answered, "I could ask you the same thing." His head tilted some as he extended an arm to offer her help out of the puddle and back on to the path. Given their last encounter, Noah doubted she needed such help, but it was an invitation nonetheless that the Forsaken subconsciously gave.
Rolling his shoulder slightly and adjusting the hood of his coat, Noah gave a better answer. "I came to see if any bridges had been washed out, and if anyone needed help."
In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream It's like a million little stars spelling out your name
Rae took the offered hand gladly and stepped out of the puddle, doing her best to ignore the soggy chill of her feet and resisting the urge to shake the excess water off like a cat. "Just running errands," she said with a shrug. Then, realizing that they hadn't spoken much upon first meeting, she added: "I run a farm, and work doesn't stop just because of a little rain." She glared up at the sky and received a raindrop in the eye for her trouble.
Rubbing at her eye with a huff, she peered up at Noah. "I don't know anyone else mad enough to be out in this just to be helpful," she said, her brows raised in amusement. "Color me impressed." Then, with a wolfish grin: "You must not be from around here."
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together
Come on, come on, little taste of heaven
I'll let it burn the way the sunlight burns my skin The way I feel inside, the way the day begins
Noah's glacier eyes lingered on Rae as she took his offered hand, the tension in his frame easing ever so slightly as she stepped out of the puddle. He nodded at her explanation of running errands, the subtle tightening of his jaw the only hint of his unease at her being out in such conditions--because, in all reality, Noah wasn't aware that this wasn't entirely normal for the region.
"I know the feeling." he replied.. The rain continued its relentless descent, casting a somber veil over the conversation. Noah's brows furrowed slightly as Rae mentioned her farm, a flicker of acknowledgment in his gaze. He grew up in a place where his work never ended. Without the ability to grow much in way of sustenance, hunters had always been in and out from Citadel to Tundra, doing their duties.
As Rae teased about his apparent madness for braving the rain, a smile played on Noah's lips. "Halo." Noah said. "Pretty used to bad weather, even more used to helping others in it."
Just then, Noah heard something that snapped his attention from Rae and behind them, towards a bone bridge.
The relentless rain beat down on the old mule, its weary hooves clattering against the worn materials of the bone bridge. The cart it pulled creaked under the weight of cargo, its wooden wheels protesting with each turn. The once-sturdy bridge, constructed from the massive bones of long-forgotten creatures, glistened with a treacherous sheen in the downpour.
As the mule strained against the pull, the cart's wheels struggled for traction on the slick surface. The rhythmic clinks and clatters of hooves and wheels were accompanied by the ominous groans of the ancient bridge under the added burden of rain. The mule's ears laid back, a sign of its frustration, as the cart threatened to slip off the bone bridge.
The air was thick with tension, the mule's breath visible in the cold rain. The driver, hunched over and soaked to the bone, wrestled with the lines in a futile attempt to guide the cart to safer ground. Mud-slicked stones made the passage even more perilous. With a heart-wrenching slide, the cart teetered on the edge of the bridge, threatening to spill its cargo into the murky waters below. The mule's strained scream echoed the precariousness of the situation, a battle against both nature and time, and drowned out his driver's "SHIT!"
In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream It's like a million little stars spelling out your name
Halo, then? Well, someone was far away from home. Raelyn's own lips quirked up in a smile at Noah's explanation. She was just about to offer a quip in return: So does madness run in your family, or is it just you? - when she noticed Noah's attention shift. Tensing, the woman turned to follow his gaze - and froze, watching the scene before them in horror.
The cart was slipping. The mule's bray drowned out the driver's shout, but Raelyn hardly needed to hear the person to know, more or less, what they said - and with a muttered curse of her own, Raelyn sprinted towards the bridge, somehow knowing that Noah would be close on her heels. After all, he'd said something about helping people in bad weather, hadn't he? She could only hope that they would make it in time.
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together
Come on, come on, little taste of heaven
I'll let it burn the way the sunlight burns my skin The way I feel inside, the way the day begins
Noah's sharp gaze caught the struggle on the bone bridge as the mule and cart teetered danerously close to the edge. The relentless rain had turned the eerie structure into a treacherous path. Without a second thought, Noah quickened his pace, his Sentinel's coat billowing behind him like a protective cloak against the rain.
Raelyn was quick, too, to jump in to aid. They closed the distance together, but between the rain and the struggling, they couldn't seem to get there fast enough. Noah gritted his teeth and lunged for the mule, trying to grab at the creature's headstall. He knew if he could get it under control then maybe Rae could help the driver get to safety. He blinked rapidly to keep the rain from his eyes as he aimed, but this weather was something Noah couldn't stop.
Startled by the unexpected approach of people rushing toward it, the frightened mule's instincts kicked in. With a wild-eyed look, it reared up, hooves striking the air, and unleashed a terrified bray.
The abrupt movement startled the driver, who struggled to maintain control. The mule brayed again and went to turn and run away, causing the arms of the cart attached to his harness to snap with the sudden movement.
In the chaos, the cart toppled over the edge of the bone bridge, plunging into the churning waters below. The driver screamed as he was sent overboard and went crashing into the river below.
In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream It's like a million little stars spelling out your name
Unfortunately for all involved, the rush of people towards the mule startled the poor beast. It reared, hooves flailing, making an already precarious situation worse. Raelyn cursed under her breath as she dodged flying hooves; she ran a farm, worked with horses and their ilk every day. And yet, the predatory nature of her inner wolf had still taken over, and she'd rushed in, unthinking, to cause even more of a disaster to unfold.
To her credit, Noah, too, approached quickly, but he had size and strength on his side: he grabbed at the mule, trying to steady the beast. Raelyn made for the cart, but their efforts were in vain. The cart toppled over in the chaos, and the driver screamed as he fell into the churning river below.
Now, Raelyn was not normally a jump-in-the-river-after-a-stranger kind of person, but she must have been feeling particularly charitable (or particularly bad about startling the mule), because on this particular day, she scarcely hesitated before jumping in after the man. She'd always been a strong swimmer, and hopefully she'd be able to help him get to shore.
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together
Come on, come on, little taste of heaven
I'll let it burn the way the sunlight burns my skin The way I feel inside, the way the day begins
Noah, witnessing the calamity unfold, reacted swiftly. The frightened mule, its eyes wide with terror attempted to flee, but the broken cart rendered any escape futile. As the mule backed away, its hooves slipping on the wet stones, Noah reached out with a firm grip on its bridle, trying to calm the distressed animal. He was able to grab and hold it firmly, but he wasn't able to stop the cart from falling in to the water. His mouth opened to scream out something (gods only knew what could be yelled to help the situation) but only a strained sound jerked from his lips as Rae abandoned all care for her own safety and threw herself in after the driver.
Meanwhile, the driver struggled in the frigid river below, the cart's wreckage scattered around him. Noah, undeterred by the pouring rain, worked to secure the mule. The urgent cries for help echoed against the backdrop of the relentless rain, forming a chaotic symphony of panic and rescue efforts along the bone bridge. Noah's glacier eyes darted down to the water, panic filling him as he watched for Rae's form to appear.
And when the driver went under again, and Noah didn't notice the woman, he teleported in.
As the driver fought against the swift current, panic etched across his face, the relentless river showed no mercy. The cart's wreckage added to the chaos, and disoriented, he struggled to stay afloat. The rain-slicked rocks below lurked like hidden threats in the murky water. He was barely cognizant of the splash of water -- the sign of another body entering it.
In the dangerous currents, a powerful wave seized the driver, pulling him beneath the surface. Panic turned to desperate gasps for air as the river pulled at him with all its strength. The driver's head collided with an unseen rock, sending a wave of disorientation through him. Disoriented and battered, he fought against the pull of the river, limbs flailing in a desperate bid for salvation. The rain-soaked world above darkened as the river claimed its prize, dragging the driver into its cold, unforgiving depths. The bone bridge stood witness, silent and solemn, as the river swallowed its victim, leaving only ripples in its wake.
In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream It's like a million little stars spelling out your name
It was not, perhaps, the smartest thing that Raelyn had ever done, but for the gods' sakes, this was her home, the cart driver her neighbor. If she wasn't willing to help in such a situation, then what good was she?
So in she went, thanking all the gods that she was a strong swimmer. Beneath the water was oddly quiet given the tumultuous storm raging above, but it was almost impossible to see: the pounding rains had stirred up all manner of sediment and debris, and Raelyn propelled herself to the surface once more to see if she could locate the drowning man. As the river dragged him down, Rae swam closer, reaching out to see if she could just -
There!
She managed, somehow, to grab the man's arm and haul him to the surface. She tried to tread water as she contemplated which shore was closer, but the river's current, swollen by the rains, swept them faster and faster along the banks. Raelyn grabbed the man under one arm and kicked as though her life depended on it - which it did. If she managed to get sucked under now, she'd drown right alongside the cart driver, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.
You gotta come on, come on, say that we'll be together
Come on, come on, little taste of heaven
Noah teleported in to the water. He expected a sudden shock of frigidity when he opened his eyes, but was surprised when it didn’t come. These weren’t the waters of the Sea of Glass of even of the Svaturis Bay. While the water wasn’t exactly warm, it wasn’t going to grab his bones and hold them in icy cuffs, either.
Gaining a hold of himself and his watery surroundings, he shifted. His massive polar bear frame surfaced just as Raelyn did with the wagon driver. He swam towards them with great, webbed paws and was able to just bite down on the edge of Raelyn’s collar. He didn’t know if this woman was an attuned or an abandoned (for his ring never warmed with the truth of an accepted nature), but he reached out across the bond anyway. Grab on!
Then he pushed again, trying to pull them to the safety of the loamy shore.
don't wait for the wolves to tear you apart; there's always a cage around your heart
