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!
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
The Caretaker had always been a curious sort, but never a risk taker. Calm, compliant, and thoughtful, she only wove around in restless energy when there were too many things to do at once, or news broke that curled around her a little too tightly. Rumors of new plants, and the potential that they may show up in the Celestine, had driven her onwards now, to the point where she nearly didn’t mind the thoughts that they may be tied in bitter potential.
The Greatwood remained nearly wholly unfamiliar to her, as she’d only meandered through markets to pick up a few things, but foraging was always up her alley, and the thickets near a rushing river seemed more enticing than steering herself towards places called Crimson Cataract or the echoes of Ludo’s Woods. The rushing water held its own haunting song, but she found she didn’t mind it, hiking up her skirts, tying the knot around the end, and ensuring her basket was over her shoulder. “I’d like to get a few more,” she whispered to Mittens, pointing towards some wild lavender, and the snowball might’ve rolled its eyes, had she not spotted something else.
Unfamiliar; darkened silhouettes upon leaves once meant to be vibrant, and the Attuned found herself swallowing down something she didn’t want to name. Eyes narrowed, she stepped a little closer towards the vegetation, shaking her head when echoes seemed to stir, whispering, a hissing sibilance.
--
Open SE thread; looking at these bad boys:
Echo Ferns (infected variant - Greatwood): Originally vibrant and harmonious, the Echo Ferns now resonate with void energy. Their once-green fronds have withered into darkened silhouettes, and each rustle of their leaves emits an unsettling echo. Touching the Echo Ferns not only causes physical discomfort but also triggers haunting whispers that echo through the depths of the Greatwood.
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Why you got it in for me? Is it cause I bring it to your knees?
There was something new in the Greatwood, and Noe was completely unaware. Having decided to travel this season, she had made a stop in the forested region and traipsed on this particular day through the area called the Stone Symphony. It was beautiful and wild, especially in comparison to the girl's home region of Stormbreak, and she couldn't help but look around with delight as she explored. It was different, too, from Torchline, all open beaches and crashing waves. She wished she could take a mental picture and take it home with her. Maybe she would simply stay for a while, until she'd had her fill, and then she could move on.
In any case, she was hardly paying attention to the flora (aside from just admiring the sheer volume of it), and so she didn't notice when she wandered too close to a particular fern that gave off an unsettling echo until she was nearly on top of it. Hit with a wave of discomfort that she couldn't name, she eyed the plant - which looked dead and withered, in stark contrast to the rest of the forest - and retreated.
When Lena appeared, seemingly intent on gathering some plant or other, Noe was about to call a greeting when the Caretaker seemed to notice the odd fern. Noe was familiar with the woman and approached easily. "Careful - that one seems to bite."
Throw water on electricity just to see If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
Lena hadn’t missed the sudden hisses; echoes of a time long since gone, with familiar shrieks blending and bending into her ears: her sister’s calls and pleas, the frantic screaming of people crushed below walls and buildings, until sudden silence –
On a gasp, she heard another, and turned to realize it was Noe. A rush of breath, and her own heartbeats, pounded through her chest, and perhaps for the first time in a long while, the Caretaker didn’t look calm, composed, or radiant.
Shaken – her fingers withdrew and she could feel herself beginning to cluster and veil and withdraw. “So I heard,” she gave instead, a visible retreat summoning through her form, and a few more steps taken towards riverbank and song, rather than those painful throngs. Giving another shaky inhale and exhale, she gave the usual pretenses of ‘everything is fine’. “How are you, Noe?”
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Why you got it in for me? Is it cause I bring it to your knees?
Noe herself hadn't gotten close enough to the fern to learn of its meaner qualities, and she continued to eye it from afar as Lena escaped its clutches, wishing she'd been faster to warn the Caretaker. Lena might be a part of Sohalia's inner circle, but the young woman had always been nice to Noe, and she couldn't fault the Advisor for her choice in friends. So she offered what she hoped was an encouraging smile and took a few more steps away from the plant in question, hoping that Lena would follow.
"Oh, I'm fine," she said nonchalantly. "Just exploring. I've never been to the Greatwood before. Are plants like that, uh, common?" If she was going to be traipsing about in the wilderness, she should at least know what to watch out for. Maybe she should have done some research on flora and fauna before leaving home.
Throw water on electricity just to see If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
Lena shook her head at the notions, mind settling into something routine, understandable, and not soul-crushing. Information was easy, and so had been all the plants she’d ever known and mustered through the Celestine, head down in a book of Nature balances throughout the Collegium. Noe’s explorations through the Greatwood made sense too, even if the entirety of the scenario, and these bizarre interims, didn’t. “This place is beautiful,” she added, allowing her senses to be absorbed by the song of the river behind her, rather than anything added by the vicious vegetation.
But as for the other inquiry, she could finally give some semblance of an answer. “Not that I know of. This seems new. And…foreboding.” Not an ominous figure, but cautious just the same; especially after her losses and lots in life.
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Why you got it in for me? Is it cause I bring it to your knees?
Noe was an engineer, and information was her lifeblood. Perhaps not information about plants, admittedly, but if such things were going to run rampant in the wilds, perhaps she should make more of an effort to study them.
Lena remarked on the Greatwood's beauty, and Noe looked around with a nod, taking in the very bounty that the Caretaker had referenced. It was so green here, in comparison to the dull grey of Stormbreak, and although Noe loved her home region, she had to admit that the wild world beyond its walls was glorious and breathtaking and beautiful.
"Foreboding is a good word," Noe agreed, eyeing the plant that had caused the trouble. It was so strange, almost dead looking, surrounded by a bountiful world of life. "Where do you think it came from?"
Throw water on electricity just to see If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
“I have no idea,” she readily admitted, not one for conceit or arrogance. If she wasn’t aware, Lena voiced her ignorance, if only to learn and snag at further sagacity. Hanging her head down, and finally going into a crouch, she aimed to study the underpinnings and growth without touching or getting too near, but she couldn’t find anything significant. “I worry it could travel to the Celestine,” considering how many plants grew within the sanctum and shelter. “Maybe I’ll ask Frey when I get the opportunity. Or visit the library again.” Her teeth pulled at her lip a little, inherently anxious.
Eventually, she paused in her stream of consciousness, granting a a small smile back at Noe. “Do you have any theories?”
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Why you got it in for me? Is it cause I bring it to your knees?
Noe approached cautiously, joining Lena in her crouch and peering at the offending plant. She knew next to nothing about flora, having spent her time studying the inner machinations of nonliving items. Perhaps that had been a mistake, especially since she was planning to explore. Still, if these plants were new, then perhaps they had yet to be catalogued in any book or pamphlet.
The possibility of the angry plant finding its way to the Celestine had Noe raising her eyebrows. "I didn't think of that," she admitted. She'd not stopped to consider that in her wanderings, an errant seed might take hold of her clothing or her bag, hitchhiking its way back to her home. Yet another thing to be wary of, then.
"I don't know much about plants," she said with a shrug, standing and dusting off her palms. "But it seems weird, right? Safrin's gone, a meteor that left no trace, weird weather, angry plants..." She pursed her lips, tilting her head to one side, mind ticking steadily through the possibilities. "Could be coincidence."
Throw water on electricity just to see If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
Lena wished she had her books with her, but they were currently ensconsced in the Celestine, waiting for her arrival back home. If anything though, she could lightly sketch the offending thing, and snagged at a few bits and pieces of paper and charcoal in her basket.
She listened while she worked, beginning to draw in the outlines, the deeper hues, the strange, almost deadened quality to it. “I’m probably just overly cautious,” she admitted with a slight arch to her smile, as if it were a flaw or defect. “But doesn’t that seem like a lot of things together? Too much to be a coincidence, I believe.” For the Caretaker had been raised amidst those piles of sagacity and qualities of the deities; something felt overthrown and tossed, ricocheting and boundless against Caido’s walls.
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Why you got it in for me? Is it cause I bring it to your knees?
"Yeah, I hate to admit it, but you're probably right," agreed Noe, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head to one side as she watched Lena sketch. Her own drawings were limited to mechanical systems and such things, and to see someone capturing actual, real, live plants on paper was astonishing to watch. Could Noe do it if she tried? Perhaps. Would she give up if she wasn't immediately good at it? Probably.
The girl chewed on her lip for a moment in silence. "So," she said then. "Congrats on the whole welcoming Abandoned thing. It's great to see all the work we did pay off." And Lena was one of their leaders, so she deserved the most praise. More than Sohalia, anyway, at least as far as Noe was concerned.
Throw water on electricity just to see If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
Making a few more notes of the sketch, including the darkened silhouettes on fronds and leaves, her residual smile continued and persisted in a slight frown, brows furrowing as she mulled over the parameters, the nature of it all. “I just wish we knew what it meant.” How to prepare, what to do – they could try multitudes of things and still not be going in the right direction.
At a loss for the moment, she remained in her crouch, listening to the alteration in subject. “Oh, thank you. I think we all did rather well, and the welcome seemed to go all right?” The Caretaker had been unaware of any underlying motions, including the Dragoon dilemma, but she was all for repose and peace, rather than marching soldiers somewhere. “Have you met many Abandoned?”
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Why you got it in for me? Is it cause I bring it to your knees?
Noe watched Lena's sketch come to life, idly twirling a strand of hair around a finger. Whatever the plant was, it seemed unpleasant, and that was enough to keep the girl away from it. She could understand the older woman's desire to know more, though - when it came to Caido's oddities, there was no such thing as too much information. The girl really should check in with Koa soon - maybe he would know more than she did about the strange happenings in the world.
The Abandoned welcome was an easier topic, and Noe smiled. "I thought the welcome was wonderful," she said. Even the impromptu spar could have been worse - after all, Koa had survived. Noe shrugged. "No, I'd never met any before the welcome. They seemed fine, though. Just like us, only -" She lifted a hand and wiggled her fingers. "- magic." She smiled. "What about you?"
Throw water on electricity just to see If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel
hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
She made a few more adjustments of her sketch, sometimes smudging a mark until it disappeared, other moments placing a darker portion of charcoal into the outline. It helped soothe some trepidations still bubbling in her chest, allowed her to partake in something that wasn’t outright domineering; a worthy distraction.
Though words were enough too, as Noe smiled and persisted. “I’ve met a few. All of them were very kind.” Sah, Morgen, to name a couple immediately coming to mind. “I’m glad we all came to realize they’re much like us, and not everyone is like the Voice.” Hopefully she’d been one in a million, and they wouldn’t have to combat anything similar ever again. “Now we can find other ways to safeguard Stormbreak.”
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all
Why you got it in for me? Is it cause I bring it to your knees?
She had ulterior motives for asking about the Abandoned, but when it came down to it, she didn't have it in her. Perhaps she wasn't bright enough or clever enough to be sneaky and sly, but she couldn't think of a way to ask about Sohalia, to try to initiate any level of dissidence into the leadership of her region. Maybe she just didn't have it in herself to tear down the region she loved so much. Whatever the reason, she simply nodded, letting any attempt at subterfuge go, and refocused on the plant.
"I like the idea of giving the hot springs healing waters," she said after a moment. "I suppose it's not really safeguarding, exactly, but if we'd had something like that before... it could have saved a lot of lives."
Throw water on electricity just to see If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel
