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!
11-19-2023, 09:04 PM (This post was last modified: 12-02-2023, 06:59 PM by Noah.)
Noah moved through the inner quarter, his steps purposeful as he gathered the necessary supplies to construct an altar for Vi. The air was thick with the scent of rain, and the hum of nature provided a backdrop to his solitary mission.
Noah stood in the heart of the temple, a sacred space dedicated to Vi. The air was thick with the sweet fragrance of blossoms as he meticulously adorned the altar with an array of vibrant, freshly picked flowers. Each bloom held significance, a symbol of the vitality and beauty that Vi bestowed upon the world. The torrential rains that this season brought threatened to kill these flowers, but Noah was able to save some. Enough to fill the air with their brilliant scent and lighten the candlelit temple with their color.
Noah's hands moved with purpose, his devotion evident in the meticulous care he took in adorning the temple with nature's bounty. He envisioned the temple as a living tribute to Vi, a sanctuary where the divine essence of life was palpable. On the north wall propped a large canvas stretched out between timber boards that were taller than Noah himself. Paints of all color and variety were scattered at the base, and it was very clear he had a project in mind for that, too, to complete once his flowers were placed.
the forsaken
your scars shine like dark stars your wounds are where the light shines through
Noah requested aid and Sah came. It was as simple as that, even if getting to the Grounds was rather out of the way. Lilly and Pad stayed at the entrance of the temple upon arrival so as not to get in the way. The darker wolf grumbled at being left behind but the ever-positive Lilly simply let out a happy yip to greet the Demi-god.
Sah grinned widely as he approached his friend, pulling Noah into a hug, "Noah! It's good to see you." Noah's absence was inescapable in Halo and the man was deeply missed. If the Wild Thunder could help him get home sooner, he was happy to help. Eyeing the supplies around them, it was clear that the man already had a plan. Stepping back Sah tilted his head, "How can I help?"
There was gentle hustle and bustle within the temple from the refugees — people whose homes had been flooded or made unlivable in some way due to the unseasonably harsh rain. Everyone once and while they would stop and watch what Noah was doing, but otherwise left him alone.
Noah worked to arrange the flowers but color and size. He tried to remember the Greatwood in all of its beauty and splendor from the last time he was there. He wanted to replicate that. AS he placed a few arrangements together, Sah arrived. Noah brushed his hands off on his pants and pulled his pack mate in for a hug. He patted the once-wolf’s back with a great deal of affection and whistled a greeting over to Lilly who barked at him.
”I am so glad you could make it.” Noah said. He turned and gestured to the place he had chosen. ”I was hoping you would make me — well, the Grounds — something. I think a big Vi statue would look perfect right here.” He said. He gestured to a place that would totally block off the remnants of the Voice’s shrine. ”But first we need to get this out of here.” He said, narrowing in on the dead goddess’ statue.
the forsaken
your scars shine like dark stars your wounds are where the light shines through
"I'm happy to help." The lushness of the temple wasn't lost on the Wild Thunder and Noah's request confirmed his hunch, "That's wonderful. I can certainly do it." The statue would need to be made in sections and then glued together so that it wouldn't deteriorate with time.
Giving Noah a grin he added, "It'll be good to have Vi's presence in the Grounds." Both due to its recent alignment with Dygra and also because of how much the region had suffered in recent years. The reminder of life and light would be good for the people's morale.
But first things first, they needed to remove the Voice's touch from the temple. Sah walked over and grasped one edge of the altar. "If you grab the other side, we can use force and my magic to pry it away without further damaging the walls." The Wild Thunder was gentle in his actions. Regardless of the Voice's faults, she was still a deceased Goddess who died for her people. She deserved at least that much respect.
Sah treated the statue with much more kindness and respect than Noah ever would have afforded it. Though, as he contemplated the way the Wild Thunder’s hands held the statue with some (even minute) sense of reverence, it was because of the Voice that he was even in Caido. So he didn’t say anything, and helped his friend remove the statue of the praying girl. ”There is a place we can put this outside that will be out of the way.” But not destroyed — even though that is what Noah wanted to do. And probably would be doing if he had called on Deimos for help. The Sword shared his feelings towards the Voice, and were even deeper rooted in a hatred because of his time trapped within the dome.
Leading Sah to where he spotted out, Noah gestured with his chin. There was a pile of rubble where a building used to stand in the neighboring space of the Temple, a good spot for the statue to rest. It was also rubble, in Noah’s opinion. After disposing of it, Noah trotted back into the Temple to get out of the rain. Wiping his hands, Noah smiled at his friend. ”Okay, once the statue is up then we can move on to the next part.”
The hunter set to gathering more supplies and left Sah to work his magic. Noah hoped that, with enough effort, this altar and exhibit would be a brilliant place for a shrine to his deity.
the forsaken
your scars shine like dark stars your wounds are where the light shines through
Even if Noah didn't say anything, Sah knew his friend. Letting out a quiet sigh he gave an explanation because Noah deserved one, "Thank you. If we don't respect our enemies' dead, how can we expect them to do the same for ours?" The statue was also a piece of history, a history that was better not forgotten, lest it be repeated. There were still Ascended alive as well. One of them might wish to take the statue home.
With that taken care of, they returned to the temple. The Wild Thunder eagerly began to call forth his magic. He created the statue in sections and secured them together with the strongest cement he could find. Once he had a rough body built, he glanced over at his packmate, "Hey, Noah? Would you describe Vi to me? I've never actually met or seen him, but I want the state to depict him accurately." For many, this would be the only way that they would ever look upon the God's face. It had to correct and who better to ensure that than Vi's own Demi-god.
Noah nodded. He knew his friend was right, but there was a deeply held grudge that the Forsaken hadn't entirely worked through yet -- and he probably never would.
"Oh, right." Noah said as Sah called out for a description of the god. Even though his mind had just worked over the fact that Sah was an outlander, he somehow didn't realize that he hadn't talked about this yet with him. Grabbing some nails and a hammer, Noah turned back to his friend. "So, he's pretty similarly built to me." Noah moved his shoulders up and down, so Sah would look him over. Then, Noah went in to extremely intricate detail describing the image he knew best of Vi, with his kind eyes and beard and growing flowers and aura of power and grace. "The flowers are important. He always has flowers growing around him." Noah tilted his head a little bit. "But not in the same way as you think Frey would. Like...his very essence just makes everything more vibrant and bold, more alive."
Yes Noah, the god of life made everything around him seem more alive. Smooth.
"Does that help?" The hunter asked, tucking the hammer under his arm. He grabbed a rolled up piece of canvas and a step stool. Walking over to the opposite wall, Noah prepared to hang the canvas.
"Sah, I have a question, too." Noah said as he stepped up on to the stool and angled the canvas correctly so it would hang straight. "When we were cleaning up the medical wing, we encountered some tangleweed that was..well, different. It was purple, and it gave Alys a pretty bad reaction when she touched it." Noah drove in two nails before following up with, "Have you seen or heard of anything else like that?"
the forsaken
your scars shine like dark stars your wounds are where the light shines through
Sah listened intently as Noah spoke about his deity. Vi sounded extraordinary and it was clear how devoted the Demi-god was. At the question, the Wild Thunder nodded. "Yes, thank you." He then set to work. Firstly, he adjusted the body to better mimic Noah's structure. From there he set about crafting and carving the stone into as intricate detail as possible. The folds of the deity's clothes, the ridges of his hands, the flowers blooming from his very essence.
As he finished sculpting Vi's hair, Sah let out a hum as Noah began to speak "What is it?" Strange tangleweed? He paused and glanced over at Noah with a furrowed brow, "No. I haven't. Is she ok?" Sah didn't know her very well, but she was a kind soul and a fellow Halovian. A fellow Abandoned.
"That looks really good, Sah." Noah said as he got down from the step ladder. Creation magic was something that Noah would always be impressed by. "Vi's hair is a little longer, and his beard a little shorter." He smiled as he offered helpful critique to the abandoned. He wanted to statue to be perfect, and he knew Sah would want that as well. Grabbing more nails and another canvas, Noah moved the stepping stool to hang it up beside the first one.
"I'm not entirely sure. I wasn't there when it happened, I only saw the aftermath and its still being written. Her and Talyson had some other business to attend do, so they didn't stick around long after we were done cleaning up the medical wing." He gestured with his chin towards the wing in question. "I plan to write to them soon to see if there has been any change. I've never seen anything like that before." He drove in a few nails between words, balancing on the stool and keeping the canvas tucked under his arm until it was time to hang it. "There's been all sorts of weird things happening. Safrin leaving, the shooting stars during longnight, this weather, and now the weird plants."
the forsaken
your scars shine like dark stars your wounds are where the light shines through
"Thank you." With Noah's help, Sah made the necessary adjustments and final touches. "How's this?" It was probably the most life-like work of art that he'd ever made. Standing back, he admired it, wondering if he'd ever meet the God of Life in person as he had with Mort. Perhaps one day.
Things truly were changing in Caido once more. New dangers and changes to what previously had been understood as facts. With a furrowed brow Sah added his piece, "I went to King's End to investigate the lights. I'm not sure what they were but they left a massive crater." He recalled the damage to the surrounding area, "There were still living worms in the soil, so the impact didn't kill everything. And Tal and I found the scratch marks of a large beast."
"But there was no sign of what had actually caused the impact." That was the part that was most concerning to him. Even if others had investigated before them and stolen what they could, surely there should have been more evidence of what exactly had landed. If it were a meteor, there should have been small chunks still, right?
With the statue, the flowers, and now the canvases set, Noah thought this altar and place of reverence was coming together quite nicely. Noah unrolled the canvases one by one, revealing a long list of praises to the god of life. Praising him for all he had done in the time of Caido, of all the life he had given. There were small prayers of thanksgiving written out, truths Noah found in the books frrom the Atheneum, and truths from his own life. All written out among the canvases for the people who visited the temple to see. Gathering the step lader when he was finished, Noah walked back over towards Sah.
"At Vi's feet, can you make a basin for people to put offerings in? I know this isn't a true shrine, but I think it is a good touch. People may still want to leave an offering." Noah knew he would, at least, and maybe even Sah would leave his own at the end of their time working on the project. Noah lifted his eyebrows towards the adandned when he mentioned what he found in King's End.
"Do you think all of this is connected? Safrin's quest, the shooting stars, and the new creatures?" While new wasn't exactly the right word, Noah still used it, and his face contorted with concern.
the forsaken
your scars shine like dark stars your wounds are where the light shines through
Noah seemed satisfied with the statue, so Sah simply nodded, "Sure." Calling forth his magic once more he created a basin at Vi's feet made of the same material as the statue itself. Along the basin's sides were carved leaves and flowers, a further testament to life. Sah would be leaving a small offering later, a flowering plant from the nearby area. It would be safely potted so it could thrive beside the statue.
The Wild Thunder grimaced, "I do. I think these creatures are probably only the beginning of what we can expect if Safrin fails. Whatever fell from the sky might even be what caused the corruption." Like a drop of poison entering the water only to spread into the drinking supply.
Glancing skyward Sah sighed heavily, "I'm worried, Noah." His devotion to Safrin was absolute. Yet he knew full well that Gods could fail, could die. The longer Safrin was gone, and the more incidents occurred, the more anxious the Abandoned became.
Noah nodded his head in some understanding. ”So you think this is what has already slipped past her defenses?’ He frowned. ”Vi will know more.” Noah said, the only comfort he had for his friend as he grasped his shoulder.
He let his hand drop and looked over at all they had done. The statue, offering plate, flowers, and canvases filled with praises. And, most importantly, the removal of the Voice statue. Hopefully this would be enough for the people to feel and know Vi’s presence in this place. ”Thank you for your help, Sah. I will go to Vi soon. Are you heading back to Halo after this?” He asked, lifting and eyebrow towards his friend. ”It should be getting close to Evie and Deimos’ wedding, he said it would be in the middle of the season.”
the forsaken
your scars shine like dark stars your wounds are where the light shines through
"Yes. But it's just a hunch." Sah gave a small smile at Noah's comfort, "It'll be good to hear what Vi thinks of it all." As the god that Safrin was the herald to, he might even be able to give an update on the goddess' wellbeing. Knowing at least a fraction of what was happening was certainly better than all of the speculations running through his head.
Sah joined Noah in scanning the temple, "It came out wonderfully." He grinned at his packmate, "I'm always willing to help." At the mention of the wardens' wedding, the Wild Thunder nodded. "I'll start heading there soon." Gently nudging Noah's shoulder with his own he added, "Hopefully can have another celebration when you get home if they're up to it. And to celebrate your return." The absence of Noah at the wedding would be obvious. And painful. Yet soon the man and his family would be home. A day all of Halo would celebrate.
