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!
Unable to sleep, Sohalia found herself perched on the balcony of the Spyglass after an early-morning flight. She'd tried to sleep - she really had - but things had been strange ever since that second moon appeared in the sky. Even if she knew they were doing all they could to prepare, its ominous presence still had the region scared half to death.
It was the purple that drew Soh's attention first. Rather than the warm, vibrant hues of a normal sunrise, the sky was sickly and venomous looking. Soh peered out across the sea with silver eyes - the only thing about her snowy owl form that marked her as an Attuned - and huffed a sigh. The color of the sky could only be a bad sign; they still had so much to do and, it seemed, very little time in which to do it.
Movement caught Soh's keen eyes and she looked up, only to stare in horror. The moon was growing. And it wasn't stopping.
The Heart watched, unable to do anything, as it grew larger and larger before crashing into the sea. By its trajectory, she knew that the moon - scratch that, meteor - had crashed somewhere near Torchline, and if the resulting shockwave was any indication, the destruction was going to be catastrophic.
Soh flew, unable to watch as the sea rose up in response to the meteor's crash, hunting down her council. Once Lena, Everest, and Anju had assembled at the top of the Spyglass, they could survey what they could of the destruction - and perhaps begin to make a plan.
Everest had hardly been able to sleep since the meteor had changed the landscape of the ocean below as well as the trajectory of the season dawning upon them. It didn't surprise the aviator that their queen had sought them out so soon after their last meeting, but nor did he think he'd have any answers for her. Still, on large golden wings, he followed her in flight to the top of the Spyglass.
"My reports from the Silk Houses and lower parts of the city show no damage." Ever begins, trying to hide a yawn behind his notebook lest the group think him bored. "I...I'm sure Anju will have something more to add—" He glanced toward the dragoon with a polite nod. "—but compared to what has happened below...I think we're..." It felt like a terrible thing to think let alone say, what with the screams from below still blowing up toward the flying city on the sea winds.
"I think we're okay."
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
Lena hadn’t slept either, in the cruel wake of everything happening below. She could be relieved in aspects of Stormbreak, who’d suffered greatly before and hadn’t in this juncture, but gods, for those beyond –
Faith kept her grounded where everything else threatened to not, and she didn’t bother hiding her trembling hands as she met with the others. “The Celestine is fine too,” she murmured; having checked over the animals who’d been a little wide-eyed and restless from the echoes and shocks and images, but otherwise undisturbed. She jotted down the notes as well, penning it across the page to make herself feel somewhat useful. And by Everest’s presumptions, she still felt somewhat awful. Guilty. Ashamed, maybe. That they’d come out relatively unscathed and –
“What can we do to help? Should we send resources? Ourselves?”
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
Sleeplessness abounds, and Anju arrives grim and dressed in her uniform already, having been assembling Dragoons and controlling city panic for countless hours now. Stray hairs have escaped the militaristic perfection of her bun, but the real sign of disarray comes from the tight lines around her eyes and mouth.
Everest's words are a perfect rejoinder, and she clears her throat softly. "Aside from minor damage from general panic and stampeding, we have no casualties or property destruction." Her expression is equally as grim as their advisor's, reluctant to admit such a thing when the destruction below is undeniable. "The Dragoons are prepared for orders for foreign aid if you want to make the call Sohalia." It's not a decision she can - or will - make on her own, but she suspected it would be the case strongly enough to have prepared them ahead of time.
Faithfully I would prepare my works to prove God's wrath was well deserved
The reports from Stormbreak were better than she could have hoped for. Other than an overall sense of panic - and, really, who could blame them - they'd managed to escape relatively unscathed. It had given Soh plenty to think about in the hours since dawn, and plenty to discuss with her advisors now that they were all together. "We're lucky," she murmured, brows knit with concern. "If the trajectory had been different -" If it had hit Stormbreak, she wasn't sure they'd have a region left to protect.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on what might have happened. "I think we should send whoever we can to Torchline, first. They were the closest to the crash site, and with how big that meteor was..." She shuddered. She could only imagine the reports that would come out of the coastal region. "Not everyone," she added after a moment's thought. "I want to make sure we can keep Stormbreak safe, just in case there's more to come. But if we can divert some supplies and personnel to the most affected regions... I think we should."
She paused again, steeling herself. She didn't think they were going to like what she had to say next - especially Anju. "I'm going to Torchline, as soon as we have things settled here. If any of you want to come - or go elsewhere - to help, you're welcome."
It doesn't bear thinking about, but the grave expression that comes over Ever's face suggests that he's done little else. If the meteor had struck Stormbreak, based on its size, he judged they'd all have been wiped out in an instant.
"Last season I spoke to Isla Lockwood, who lives in Torchline. She had a medical clinic in the Grounds for years and years before..." Blinking, the aviator is suddenly tongue-tied as to how to succinctly and correctly say before she became an ascended and a war started and her race was targeted. "...erm, about training citizens to make first aid supplies. If you have no objections, given that my mother is a doctor and I've picked up a few things, I'd like to go down and offer my assistance in that area."
That Sohalia was going to do down was both unexpected but perhaps not entirely surprising, and given that it wasn't his place to argue anyway, the Spyglass merely nods.
"If we can only give our attention to one region...are we in agreement in should be Torchline?" Based on proximity as well as sheer devastation.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
Lena had always tried to not dwell on the what ifs – there’d been far too many tragedies encircling the perimeter of her life, and if she gave over to the possibilities of how they could’ve been avoided, she’d never get anything accomplished. So instead of meandering into those thoughts, she buckled down on the present, listening to Anju’s information, and the range of other notions tumbling through. “I can go wherever need be. I don’t mind traveling to both Halo and Torchline.” As long as she could help.
Nodding at Everest’s insistence, the Caretaker wished she had more to offer there too, but had to carefully cultivate how much she gave over, because Stormbreak, and the Celestine, was still a priority. “I think that would be wonderful,” she added with the hint of a smile.
Before they got too mired in the devastation, she did want to honor their own lands too. “I know there is much to be done below, but what were we thinking for our region, when we have the time available?” Which assets to be devised or divided?
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
Tilting her head in deference to Everest, for he was certainly not someone for her to command anyway, Anju folds her hands in front of her on the table. The slight whitening of her knuckles was hopefully unnoticeable. "While I loathe choosing, I believe our Dragoon forces should be concentrated in Torchline, and any volunteers who are willing to aid in both regions can be sourced on a case-by-case basis." Here she tilts her chin toward Lena, whose thoughts align with her own. Anju will certainly be helping independently in both regions, but their forces would do more good concentrated as a whole.
Sohalia's offer makes her go stiff and cold, expression shuttering but eyes unerringly finding the Heart's. "You should travel with the guard as much as possible if you insist on leaving," she words sharply, her disapproval loud and clear but subsiding with the same deferment as an attack dog being told to sit by their owner. Lena's suggestion is a distraction worthy of gratitude, and Anju works her jaw slightly to dispel some small modicum of tension before lending her input. "I will always be partial to training more recruits, especially in light of this devastation where boots on the ground are so important. But as an alternative, improvements to Stormbreak will ensure non-military citizens can feel productive and involved." Instead of looking down over the safe sides of their region, helpless and guilty.
Faithfully I would prepare my works to prove God's wrath was well deserved
Sohalia listened to each of her advisors in turn, her hands clasped before her on the table, the better to keep them from shaking. When she'd volunteered to lead Stormbreak, this was certainly not on her list of expected scenarios, and she was glad of her friends' help in such a troubled time. To Everest, Soh nodded. "Of course," she said, nodding. After all, how could she decide to leave Stormbreak to help and keep her advisors from doing the same? "Are there any supplies we could send with you, to make your task easier?" She didn't want to drain Stormbreak, of course, but they should be able to spare some medical supplies, at the very least.
"Torchline was closest to the impact," Soh said, her brows furrowed. "It stands to reason that they would need the most assistance. Perhaps we can start there, help them to stabilize, and then send help to Halo after, if it is needed," she suggested. She hated having to choose between the two, of course, but... there were only so many of them, and they could only do what they could do.
The Heart inclined her head to Anju, trying not to wince at the disapproval she heard behind the Captain's words. "Of course," she said. It would certainly be easier to travel with the guard, but Sohalia wasn't above leaving them behind if it was needed. She certainly wouldn't take helpers away from Torchline simply to guard her, not when they could do so much more if given the chance. not that she was going to get into that argument... not right now, anyway.
As for their own region, Soh sighed softly. "I have to admit that I'm torn," she said. "Training our forces cannot be a bad thing in light of everything that's happened. I would rather be prepared, in case there is more to come. But... improvements to Stormbreak could prove helpful as well." She thought for a moment. "If we send aid to other regions, how many will be left here to train?" If there weren't enough people to train or act as trainers, then perhaps their efforts would be better spent on regional improvements this season.
Spreading his fingers, Everest looks into his palms. He'd heard that there were people who could pull information based on the ways the lines and such moved or forked, though he had always failed to understand how the way in which one bent their fingers could actually reveal secrets about their future.
So, seeing nothing helpful, the aviator glances up at those seated around the table and sits a touch straighter to signal he was about to say something. "We might ask ourselves...if this had happened to us, what would we expect our allies and closest neighbors to do for us? We might expect that they'd give aid but focus their efforts on themselves, but we might wish that they'd instead given us all of their resources." He says softly.
"Given that..well, with what's happening, it isn't improbable to think we might need help from others, I suppose we should ask ourselves this: if we think that in a time of crisis, we'd be better served by bolstering out defences now, rather than relying on aid later, then that's what we should do. However, if we think that giving one season's worth of aid will yield a larger benefit to Stormbreak than the efforts we could make in a single season on our own, then we should send all aid we can to Torchline."
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
Lena’s brows furrowed in quiet contemplation and thought over the other comments at the table, from Everest to Anju to Sohalia, uncertain where the lines were drawn and if she was to be outvoted again, if the world was altering and changing right below them and they didn’t have the means to cease it –
To answer Sohalia’s inquiry first, her serene voice persisted after Everest’s comments. “I suppose they could go back and forth?” Here she looked to Anju, uncertain of guards’ and soldiers’ schedules, believing some would change out patrol duties, escort, and return home every so often. “I have no problem sending aid to any region that needs it – but I also worry about what could potentially happen here, if the crisis continues.” Lena might have been kind, optimistic, and benevolent, but she also didn’t rely strictly on hopes and dreams either. Stormbreak had evaded a multitude lately, and she wasn’t certain how much longer that could last.
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
Everest's logic is far-reaching, and Anju blows through her nose in a huff, considering with a frown. "Recruits are often more plentiful in the wake of disasters," she points out to Sohalia first. "Providing wholehearted support to Torchline now might yield its own benefits in the future, our own sentiments and morals aside." It's cold, perhaps, to think of it that way, but Anju doesn't mind being that person in this discussion.
"The season is long and the repairs will be slow and immense. We will surely end up helping Halo eventually, but for now, Torchline needs us more immediately." Especially given their new leadership. Looking to Everest, Anju tilts her head in deference, proud to see him fulfilling his role so readily and happy to lend her voting strength to his aid. "Whatever you think is best, Everest. You have my vote." And her trust in his judgment as their advisor. She will train recruits herself if need be, and continue to coordinate the Dragoons. Right now, with so many intertwined threads of politics and aid, she does not mind deferring to the younger man.
Faithfully I would prepare my works to prove God's wrath was well deserved
